


Blame it on the Mistletoe

by deedreamer, HopelesslyReylo



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: All the Christmas tropes, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Cockblocking Luke, Coworkers - Freeform, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Humor, Inappropriate cookies, Mistletoe, Parents Han and Leia, Snowed In, The Writing Den, we shouldn’t be left unsupervised
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-21
Updated: 2019-03-01
Packaged: 2019-09-24 04:16:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17093867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deedreamer/pseuds/deedreamer, https://archiveofourown.org/users/HopelesslyReylo/pseuds/HopelesslyReylo
Summary: Rey Wilson doesn’t necessarily hate Christmas, it’s just that she’s never really enjoyed it. It’s too over the top, too full of the same repetitive music and consumerism.That’s not to say she doesn’t enjoy some things about the holiday...So when her new boss —and secret crush— Ben Solo catches her singing in her office, she lies to avoid looking like a grinch. Now she’s agreed to spend the holiday with him and his over-the-top Christmas fanatic family.A holiday fic inspired by our lovely friend Wilson66 and her unfortunate singing mishap.





	1. Hard Candy Christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Wilson66](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wilson66/gifts).



Listen, it’s not that Rey Wilson _hates_ Christmas, it’s just that she’s never been a huge fan of it. Which according to her therapist is a completely reasonable thing.

She grew up bouncing from foster home to foster home. Having an actual Christmas was so rare she could count it on two hands; four of them had been in the last few years with her friends. The few holiday memories she had that were good, were cherished. So her humming along to Christmas tunes, despite her usual grinchy-ness towards the holiday, was completely normal.

This year, however, would be just another boring day spent laying on her couch in her pajamas and watching all of the Die Hards — _technically Christmas movies_ — while Finn and Poe were off to some remote cabin in the mountains to do what Rey assumed was a very festive amount of banging. Rose was taking Hux to meet her sister in Seattle. So that left Rey alone this year.

Truly, she doesn’t mind spending the holiday on her own. The last few months at work were a frenetic blur and Rey’s grateful for the downtime ahead. Lazy days sleeping in, eating cookies all hours of the day, and guilt-free afternoon naps sounded like the best staycation ever. And not having to spend her time tolerating her friends’ completely over-the-top Christmas spirit? Thank you, Sweet Baby Jesus, because it will be heavenly.

As she putters away at her desk, finishing the last few tasks on her to-do list before leaving for the holiday weekend, Rey hums along ironically to the Christmas tunes on the office’s Spotify. When _Hard Candy Christmas_ starts playing, Rey’s humming progresses to a full-on singalong. She knows her singing voice will never win any awards, but now that the last day of classes before the holiday break has ended, there’s not another soul still in the school building; why shouldn’t she belt her lungs out to help pass the time? Besides, though she’s had so few good holiday memories in her twenty-eight years, she cherishes every one of them.

It’s as she’s holding the last dramatic note of Dolly Parton’s classic tune, unquestionably claiming she’ll “be fi-i-i-ne,” that Rey’s voice wobbles, faltering an octave too high and several keys off note, as from the doorway behind her she hears a slow, rhythmic clapping.

“Whoamigod!” she exclaims, whipping her head over her shoulder. “You scared the shh--bejeezus out of me.”

The words tumble from her mouth and all she can be is grateful she held her tongue and kept her potty mouth in check, because she’s staring wide-eyed at the new school Principal. Rey closes her eyes and presses her palm to her pounding heart, praying for the floor to open beneath her simply so she can fall into a chasm, die a quick death, and end her mortification.

When the ground remains whole at her feet, Rey sheepishly opens one eye, grimacing like a pirate before schooling her features and attempting to handle this situation with a modicum of professionalism. Which clearly she lacks. In spades.

Because she’s staring at the Ben Solo, the man who’d stepped into the role of principal last spring after the beloved Maz Kanata went into retirement at the urging of her doctors.

Mr. Solo was a stark contrast to his predecessor, well over six feet tall, broad-shouldered and reportedly built like a Calvin Klein underwear model beneath his snug-fitting button downs and proper vests. Rey had no proof, of course, but she’d been informed of this fact by Poe, who’d apparently seen their boss running shirtless over the summer break, and Poe’s word when it came to the male physique was pretty much gospel. And yet, it was hard to call Mr. Solo classically handsome; his face was a study in contrasts, composed of sharp features, soft looking lips, raven dark hair against pale skin.

For sure, Ben Solo was nothing you’d expect of a primary school Principal. But despite his towering frame and slightly scary demeanor, the children absolutely loved him. Mr. Solo was always so gentle with them, and he’d often spend time taking rotations as recess monitor. Rey could always count on looking out her office window the days he was on duty to see him playing a game of tag, or pushing a few kids on the swing sets.

Of course those moments just added to Mr. Solo’s enigmatic charm.

As did the day giant Mr. Solo carried a crying Emma Caplin into Rey’s office with a skinned knee and elbow. That was the day Rey knew she was done for.

Mr. Solo had looked so concerned for the five-year-old, gently reprimanding her for jumping off the monkey bars. He stood behind Rey as she cleaned Emma’s wounds, and when the tiny girl asked him, he quickly agreed the unicorn Band-Aids were the best choice. The concern in the Principal’s chocolate eyes as she bandaged Emma melted her heart. And when she’d glanced over her shoulder at him in silent acknowledgment for playing along, their gazes holding a beat just too long to be purely innocent, her heart had melted.

But he was also the same man who’d made Sherry Palmer, the school secretary, cry on his first day on the job. Toward the staff he was generally firm and not unkind, but on that particular day he’d been so gruff and curt, laying out his high expectations like he was commanding a fleet rather than a group of elementary school educators. His style had been far from what they’d become accustomed to with dear Maz, and Mr. Solo had quickly earned himself the reputation of a no-nonsense chief of staff.

Remembering how gentle and concerned he’d seemed the day he’d brought Emma to her for First Aid, and having seen with her own eyes time and again his playful interaction with the children, it was near impossible for Rey to believe that this giant softie was the same man who’d scared the school board into approving a much needed renovation -- the rumor mill asserting he’d apparently made yet another person cry during those negotiations.

Never mind his sometimes cool aloofness, harsh outbursts, and sarcastic tongue. Mr. Solo’s sheer size alone intimidated. But the rare tenderness Rey’d seen him show was so unexpected that it left her fascinated, slightly confused, and most definitely and so very inappropriately attracted to the man.

Other than bi-weekly staff meetings and the brief teamwork with Emma’s boo-boo’s, Rey had interacted only a handful of times with her new boss over the fall term. And yet, it seemed to Rey there’d always been this… underlying tension from afar between them.

Staring at him now, lurking in her office doorway, Rey stammers a greeting. “I- I’m sorry, Mr. Solo, I didn’t realize anyone else was still in the building.”

A ghost of a smile tugs at his lips. “You can call me Ben, Rey. We’re colleagues,” he says, stepping into and promptly filling her office in its entirity.

Rey always knew her office wasn’t big; it had likely have been a supply closet at one point.

But when Mr. So -- Ben -- when _Ben_ enters, it’s never been more crowded. Even more than the day he carried Emma in his arms, because then Rey had been focused on solving Emma’s problem and her nursing duties had taken over, immediately pushing her other senses to the back burner. Now, with just the two of them in the cramped space, Rey’s heart still pounding a drumbeat beneath the palm of her hand as she cranes her neck to stare up at him, she suddenly feels overheated and possibly the slightest bit faint.

“I'm sorry for scaring you,” Ben says, the little lines at the corners of his eyes crinkling with warmth the rest of his expression remains fairly impassive. “I thought I was the only one in the building until I heard music, so I just popped in to say hi.”

Rey forces down a swallow, the tip of her pointer finger catching the motion as it rests along the notch of her collarbone. “Hello.” Her reply is nearly a croak as she racks her brain for any excuse as to why she’d just been belting out her best impression of Dolly warbling about maybe getting drunk on apple wine while she sat in the middle of a primary school, for God’s sake.

“I, uh, just get so into Christmas spirit, don’t you?” she asks, blinking up at him while lying through her teeth.

Except for those precious exceptions few and far between, Rey felt like the holiday -- and the hokey Christmas spirit that seemed to infect the general public like a virus -- could die in a fire.

As Rey grits her teeth and smiles, her chin tilted back at an awkward angle to hold Ben’s gaze, she watches his face morph from taciturn to pure delight as he says, “Well, I like your enthusiasm, Rey.”

Oh no, Rey thinks, realizing she’s just put her foot in it as her brain comes to the only logical conclusion: _he’s one of them._

Ben grins, his eyes alight with joy. “And I do love the spirit of the season, actually,” he replies with a nod. “It’s the one time of year when I toss all my usual rules aside and just focus on being festive.”

“Right, right.” Rey nods, doing her best to agree and not say another incriminating word. Her eyes dart away from his exuberant expression, looking for something -- anything -- to change the topic and get her out of the lie she just spun for herself.

She decides to reach for the stack of health records on her desk and starts sliding them into her desktop file sorter, a clear sign that she’s packing up herself. Which she is. Whether she finished her to-do list or not, she’s getting the hell outta Dodge. “Well,” she starts, maintaining her polite smile, “I won’t keep you one bit longer from what I’m sure are very exciting holiday plans, so--”

“And what are _your_ exciting plans?” Ben interrupts, cocking his head to the side, his gaze sincerely inquisitive.

“Oh,” she shakes her head and adds a half-hearted shrug, and tells him with a bit of forced enthusiasm, “I’m just having a nice, quiet holiday this year. Just me, my Netflix account and probably an unhealthy amount of Chinese food.” She hopes she’s convincing and her story doesn’t sound too depressing. But, one flick of her eyes back up to Ben’s face and she knows she’s failed. His countenance has gone from jubilance to incredulity in record time.

“Well, that’s not acceptable, Rey.”

 _God._ The way he says her name.

He says it so sternly that for a moment Rey fears perhaps she’s about to get fired for subpar holiday cheer. But then his half-grin is back and his eyes dance as he continues, “That’s no way for a massive Christmas fan like yourself to spend the holiday.” Ben’s brows lift wide in what Rey can only assume is surprise at himself for the words that spill out of his mouth next. “Why don’t you come with me? My parents live just outside Chandrila. They make a whole thing out of it. We cook and watch movies on Christmas Eve, and everyone hangs around all day on Christmas. You’re more than welcome to join us.”

Of course he's from Chandrila, the world's most perfect town. Nestled in the mountains, it’s basically the setting for all Hallmark Christmas movies. His mother probably bakes cookies in a house his father decorated with a tasteful amount of Christmas lights. Probably has a golden retriever who slept in front of the fireplace, too.

Rey barks out a bewildered chirp of a laugh before hastily replying, “No, I couldn’t possibly.” She tilts her chin back all the way once again and levels him with a genuine smile. “But thank you all the same.”

Ben frowns down at her. The look he fixes her with is dark and unrelenting. If it wasn’t for the ridiculous poinsettia tie he's wearing, Rey could almost understand why other people are intimidated by him.

“Rey. You can’t spend Christmas alone—“

Rey bites her tongue before she can point out the fact that she has spent _most_ of her holidays alone.

Ben laughs as he adds, “Besides, my mother makes the best garlic butter prime rib for Christmas dinner.” Well _that_ got Rey’s attention. “She makes enough to feed an army. Knowing her,” he continues with a an amused smirk, “she’ll send you home with enough leftovers for a week.”

It isn’t a well kept secret that food is Rey’s weakness. Everyone at the school knows it’s not unusual for Rey to order two cheeseburgers for lunch, or that she keeps a fully stocked desk drawer full of snacks (and not just for ‘low blood sugar’ reasons). It’s easy to get Rey to agree to help with any potluck, picnic, or international food day, as long as she gets to enjoy the food. Finn’s the only one who know that Rey’s slight obsession with food comes from a childhood spent being perpetually hungry. That, now, as an adult, Rey refused to go to bed on an empty stomach. Not after all the years she spent lying awake as hunger gnawed at her.

“Not to mention,” Ben’s continued commentary brings Rey’s attention back to the present as he smiles down at her and says, “my Aunt Mara makes this chocolate cheesecake and honestly, all I can say is I hope she leaves me that recipe in her will.”

_Well, that did it._

She’s in. Any arguments Rey might have had die on her lips. Shaking her head, she stands to leave, giving Ben a nod. “Fine. Fine. I’m in.” She holds a single finger up at him in a stern teacher-like admonishment. “But I’m bringing something. No arguments. I won’t just show up empty-handed.”

Ben gives her a toothy smile that somehow, despite its silliness, makes Rey’s knees a little weak. He follows her out the office door, and for a moment, Rey’s boss reminds her of an excited puppy.

“Sounds good,” he announces, excitement in his eyes. “I’ll pick you up at four on Christmas Eve, so be sure to pack an overnight bag because the real festivities begin Christmas Day!”

Rey whips around, alarm bells ringing in her mind. She shakes her head and squints at him as if that will somehow clarify the crazy words that just spilled out of this man’s mouth. “Wait. What?”

“I’ll pick you up at four,” he repeats, raising a questioning brow, “if that works?”

“No, not that,” Rey says, waving her hand in front of her face. “The other thing.”

A crease forms between Ben’s brows as he thinks for a moment. “Oh, pack an overnight bag...?” he says, his statement sounding much more like a question.

“Yes,” Rey nods once, pointing at him as if he were a criminal. “ _That_ thing!”

“Oh,” Ben scoffs, giving Rey an expression of pure disbelief. “Chandrila’s almost two hours away. We can’t drive all the way into the mountains and turn right back around again, that would just be silly.”

Biting her lip, Rey nods, because she gets it. She wouldn’t want to spend four hours in the car on a holiday either. But she barely knows this man, and he’s her boss. And now she’s going to have a… a what? A sleepover party with him and his family full of strangers?

  
“I see,” Rey says slowly.

“Wait,” Ben says, a little chuckle puffing off his lips, “you didn’t think I was… propositioning you?” He swallows thickly and shakes his head, a solemn expression softening his features and making him look young and innocent. “We have plenty of spare beds and my mother runs the house with military precision; I swear to you there will be _no_ funny business.”

He’s so damn serious that Rey can’t help but feel her lips pull into the hint of a smile. “No funny business,” she repeats. “Okay, then… I’ll see you at four.”

* * *

 By the time Ben pulls up to her apartment Christmas Eve, Rey’s contemplated backing out no less than seventy-two times. She’s crafted six different texts faking some kind of emergency, but they all seemed weak.

But after a night spent with her friends, forced to watch multiple Christmas movies on her couch, Rey’s friends had convinced her to go. Finn said it would be nice for her to see a loving family celebration, to see that it wasn’t always bad. Rose said it was a kind gesture, and she should go if for no other reason than to become better friends with Ben. Poe reasoned that she might actually get laid and that considering how large Ben was, he was probably proportional. “It would probably do you both wonders.” Poe’d told her earnestly before Finn threw a pillow at him.

So here she was, watching Ben pull up her driveway at three-fifty-nine. Her overnight bag sits on the ground at her feet as she balances a plate of caramel chocolate pecan bites, a basket of homemade soaps and lotions, and three painstakingly wrapped gifts. She watches as Ben unfolds from his SUV with a grace that shouldn’t come easily to a man his size, before he helps her arrange everything in his back seat. Once settled, they hit the road for their two hour drive into the mountains.

They’re not ten minutes into the drive when the small talk seems to have been exhausted and Rey’s feeling awkward sitting beside her boss, going to his family’s home. She feels a little trapped now, and knows she’s going to feel a lot _more_ trapped once they arrive if things don’t go smoothly. Rey’s heart starts to hammer in her throat, and she can’t help but feel she’s made a horrible mistake by listening to her stupid friends and agreeing to go.

“So, um--” Rey starts, looking out the windshield hoping for some topic to pop into her mind.

But she doesn’t get very far before Ben announces a suggestion with an impulsive grin. “Let’s play some music!” He glances away from the road quickly to catch Rey’s gaze, and she’s once again flummoxed by Ben’s voracious excitement over the holiday.

“Oh, sure, okay,” Rey agrees, wondering why she hadn’t suggested that herself. It’s a sure-fire way to avoid having to make conversation. The minute Ben turns the satellite radio on, Rey instantly regrets agreeing because the car is flooded with the sound of jingling bells. He put on the Christmas station. Of course he did.

And not a moment later, Ben’s deep baritone voice is inundating her ears as he sings enthusiastically along with Elvis to ‘Blue Christmas.’ At the refrain, Ben turns his gaze toward her once again, his expression completely serious.

“Why aren’t you singing? This is your thing!”

Part of Rey feels a little scared by his intensity, but the other part -- and this part is a little unreal to her because since when has she felt turned on by being scolded -- that part feels hot and liquid under his scrutiny. And Rey kinda likes it.

Reluctantly, Rey starts to sing along, her voice surprisingly harmonious alongside Ben’s. When together they sing the last line about having “a blue, blue Christmas,” Rey gets this strange sensation, like a wave lapping at her ankles along the shore, holding her firm in the sand, rooting her somewhere she always longed to be... and she thinks that, just maybe, this impromptu trip hadn’t been the worst decision in the world.

The next song starts -- commercial-free, naturally -- and Rey feels a little grin tug her lips upward at how happy and dopey Ben is, just driving along and singing his heart out. She glances out the window to see the fat, snowflakes that started their rapid falling about ten minutes earlier have really started to stick; already the expressway is blanketed in a coating of white. Rey worries at her lip a little bit, shoving thoughts of treacherous travel out of her mind. After all, Ben’s car has all-wheel drive and he seems perfectly unfazed by the conditions on the road. To her surprise, Rey starts to sing along without any further death-glares from Ben.

Five songs later, Rey’s reached her limit with the Christmas music. All cuteness has long since dissipated.

“Hey, Ben?” When he glances at her over his shoulder, his gaze quickly returning to the slow slicked road, she reaches over and turns down the volume on the stereo. “Tell me about your family. I wanna be prepared with basic names and relations before I arrive.” She figures it’s something she needs to know, but frankly, it’s just a brilliant excuse to put a hold on the holiday jubilee the car’s become.

Ben shrugs. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” He clears his throat and reaches over to turn the windshield defroster on high; the snow’s really coming down at quite a clip. “Well, my mom is Leia Organa--”

Rey’s eyes slide wide open as she squeezes the leather seat alongside her thighs so hard she thinks she might leave nail marks. “What was that?” she squeaks.

“Leia Organa, the senator?”

Leia Organa. The senator who achieved the third longest filibuster in US history, and as a result struck down a healthcare amendment that would severely hurt the health care options for impoverished women. In her twenty two hours on the floor she talked about the importance of low cost health care, and the need for more clinic. Then she read letters from doctors, and patients. At one point, when a senator from Alabama shouted at her, calling her an “militant feminist”. Senator Organa, not stopping for a moment, pulled out her copy of _The Female Persuasion_ , and proceeded to read from it. For the next four hours.

She was a legend, to say the least.

“That’s what I thought you said,” she mumbles to herself. “Okay, I… but you’re…” she shakes her head. “I had no idea.”

“Yeah, she kept her maiden name professionally -- she’d already started to make a name for herself in politics when she met my dad. She’s a ‘Solo’ legally, though.”

“I see,” Rey says. But all she sees are the modest handmade gifts she’d spent the day before making and wrapping. All she sees are the looks of patronizing disappointment she’s sure to get while a guest in a freaking senator’s home. Rey tamps down her shame as best she can, ready to ask about the rest of Ben’s family when her thoughts are interrupted by Ben’s urgent bellow.

“Shit! Hold on!” he yelps, flinging his arm across the passenger’s side as he slams the brakes.

Rey's heart stops in her throat and she looks out the window just in time to catch the tail end of a buck in the headlights, diving off the shoulder and back into the woods. They’ve avoided a collision, but the car is still slipping and sliding on the slick road, and Rey gasps in a breath just as Ben nudges the wheel, steering into the skid just enough to regain control.

The tires find purchase and they’re back on their side of the road, trucking along as if they didn’t almost just end up in a roadside ditch.

Ben glances in the rearview mirror and sees no traffic immediately behind them. He slows the car and turns to ask, “Are you okay?” His brows reach for his hairline as he sees that his arm is still outstretched, the entire length of his forearm resting against Rey’s pillow-soft breasts. “Sorry, sorry!” he yips, snatching his hand back to the wheel. “I didn’t mean to… ah, you know, there… it was just instinctive… uh, sorry,” he mutters.

Rey isn’t sure because the light is fading with winter’s early sunset, but it looks like Ben’s neck and face have been bathed in red. But it’s not residual light from the road tinting his skin pink -- it’s a colossal blush.

Seeing Ben’s reaction makes Rey take notice of her own… she’s got that same melty feeling she had before, when they’d first turned on the Christmas music. And her nipples are tingling, their tips straining against her bra, seeking the contact they liked and already seem to miss. Rey feels her skin flushing, too. Ben flicks his eyes at her one more time before squirming in his seat, adjusting the heat.

He clears his throat. “We only have a little bit more to go,” he says, his voice sounding awkward, the pitch somehow strained. “Just two more exits.”

Rey gives a slight smile and nods as she turns her head to look out the passenger window -- anything to avoid this massive awkwardness. “Okay,” she peeps, wrapping her arms over her chest. She shivers and plays it off like she’s got a sudden chill.

She’s far from cold.


	2. Mistletoe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things in the Organa-Solo household are about to heat up... and we're not just talkin' Leia's prime rib.
> 
> THANK YOU to the amazingly talented Bunilicious for her beautiful mood board. You nailed it! *claps*

 

Driving through Chandrila is like driving through a Thomas Kinkade painting. Quaint shops covered in snow and Christmas lights line the streets. Some children are sledding in the park beneath the last of the daylight. It’s no wonder Ben loves the holiday; he basically grew up in a Christmas wet dream.

Rey’s nerves spike once they pull off the main road into a smaller residential neighborhood just outside of town. She watches the scenery change as Ben turns down a dead end street. At the circle sits a sprawling, beautiful grey two-story Victorian with white trim and a porch straight out of a Nicholas Sparks movie. The scene would have been perfectly picturesque if not for the ungodly amount of lights covering almost every inch of the house. Rey’s eyes widen as she spies the light-up candy canes lining the walkway, all blinking away to an unheard beat. It's so over the top, it appears almost cartoonish.  

“Mom wasn’t lying,” Ben groans in embarrassment. “My dad and Mr. Greedo, who lives two blocks over, get into it every year to see who has the best light display. After last year, though, the home owners association set up rules.”

Before Rey could ask what exactly happened the year before, and what rules could possibly be in place given the fact that it looked like Christmas puked all over the property, Ben pulled in the drive behind an old grey sports car and put his car in park. A man with silver hair and the same roguish grin as Ben stepped out onto the porch, waving at them.

Ben and Rey climb out of the car just as the older man reaches them. The man is a little bit shorter than Ben, his face slightly creased with laugh lines. Carrying himself with an air of confidence, he smiles broadly at them. “Oh thank god y’all made it!” He hitches a thumb behind him toward the house. “The princess refused to even _start_ dinner until you two got here. Won’t even put out the appetizers! I’m practically starving to death.”

“Good to see you too, Dad,” Ben deadpans as he starts to pull Rey’s bag from the back seat. “Dad, this is my coworker, Rey Wilson. Rey this is my father—“

“Han Solo,” the man informs her, shaking her hand enthusiastically. “Welcome. When Ben told us he was bringing a friend to the celebration he failed to mention you were so good looking.”

Ben groans and Rey can’t help but giggle.

“Keep it in your pants, old man,” Ben warns his father, shooting him a look. Han takes Ben’s admonishment good-naturedly and just laughs. It seems to Rey that their dynamic is well practiced, and a pang of nostalgia for something she never had creeps its way into the moment.

“Tell that to your Uncle Lando,” Han says, continuing the familial ribbing, “the old smooth-talker just divorced his _fifth_ wife.” Turning to Rey, he wiggles his eyebrows as he warns his son. “If you’re not careful, he might make Rey his sixth.”

Ben laughs as he starts to struggle balancing all the bags and boxes from the car. ”Take that as a warning, Rey,” Ben says, almost dropping a box before shooting his father a sarcastic look. “Do you mind helping out a bit here?”

Han just grins and throws an arm around Rey’s shoulders. “Sure. I’ll take Rey here inside and introduce her to the gang while you bring the stuff in.”

With that, Han steers Rey towards the house, leaving little room for argument. Once inside he takes her coat, hanging it on one of the overflowing hooks lining the entryway. Han leads them into a large living room decorated to the brim, where three men sit alongside a woman with pale lavender hair.

“Rey these are Ben’s Uncles Luke, Lando, and you can call that one big guy over there Chewie -- everyone else does. And this here is his Aunt Amilyn,” he says, smiling warmly at the regal woman with the candy-colored hair.  

Rey moves to extend her hand in greeting when she feels a heavy weight push against her legs. Looking down, she’s met with the large sorrowful eyes of an old basset hound. His fur showing his age so heavily he looks almost all white.

“Oh, how could I forget!” Han says with a good natured chuckle. “Rey, this is Master Reginald the Second, Lord of Ham and Sass. Or, as we like to call him, R2,” Han supplied as the ancient dog accepted a few soft head pats from Rey before returning to his bed by the fire.

“Han?” A feminine voice calls from somewhere in the back of the house. “Are they here yet?”

Rey feels Ben enter behind her and she turns to see him setting their bags down as Han finally takes all the presents Ben’s struggling with from his arms. Ben takes off his coat, as Han moves across the room to settle the gifts under the tree. Ben smiles down at Rey, then turns his head and shouts toward the back of the house.

“Yeah Mom, we’re here!”

In the doorway to what Rey assumes is the kitchen emerges a shorter woman, her graying chestnut hair pulled up into an intricate braided crown. Her jeans and dark red sweater are covered by an apron, but it takes Rey a moment and a double-take for Rey to reconcile the woman in front of her with _Senator_ Leia Organa, the political hero. Her eyes blink open wide when Rey notices the apron the Senator wears is adorned with buff men in Santa Claus outfits in various states of undress. Leia Organa is a petite woman, but already she seems to have a larger than life personality, just as she always appeared to have on TV. She commands the room with her body language alone.

“Ah!” She cries from the doorway, cocking her hip and eyeing the two of them from across the room, “you finally made it!” The Senator’s voice is rich like aged whisky, and immediately Rey can tell this woman is even more of a force to be reckoned with in person than she could have ever imagined.

From beside her, Ben mumbles, “Hey, Mom,” before taking long strides toward the kitchen, the Senator stepping from the doorway and reaching up on her tiptoes to gleefully hug her son. Rey watches in amusement as Ben jokingly pats the braids on his mother’s head where it rests tucked well beneath his chin.

“Mom, this is Rey Wilson, my colleague,” Ben announces, holding an arm out in Rey’s direction.

“Rey,” she bellows warmly, “I’ve heard so much about you!”

Rey’s bemused smile falters. “Oh,” she says, her brows drawing together. “You have?”

The Senator barks a laugh, swatting Ben on the arm as she steps out of his embrace. “Not a damn thing,” she muses, her eyes crinkling. “I’m lucky Ben even mentioned he was bringing a _friend_ at all.”

“Mom--” Ben whines with a deep, exasperated sigh, but he’s cut off by Han's voice calling out from his place in the recliner across the room.

“You knew she’d be like this, kid!”

Rey steps forward, nerves quaking as she extends an arm to greet the Senator with a handshake. “It’s an honor to meet you, Senator,” Rey says, feeling her cheeks flush as the woman’s palm slides against hers, her dark eyes sharp and appraising.

“Ugh,” she announces, rolling her eyes dramatically, “none of that Senator stuff, _please_! Here, I’m just Leia.” The older woman smirks and gives Rey’s hand an affection squeeze. “Welcome to our home. Ben, why don’t you take Rey and her bag upstairs and show her where she’s staying,” Leia instructs before turning back to Rey. “We have a full house, dear, and the game room in the basement gets a little cold sometimes, so Ben can stay down there. His old room is the only other one with a private bath. I thought you would be more comfortable there,” she finishes, patting Rey’s arm affectionately.

Rey follows Ben up the stairs, trying not to stop and stare too long at the photos gracing the walls. Maybe she can sneakily snap a picture of one to send to Rose. Rose would _love_ the one of a young Ben wearing an ill-fitting suit standing next to a younger Leia. His hair is cut too short, and his adorably large ears are on full display.

But then she spies the best picture of them all: a gangly awkward teenager holding a trophy, his longer hair wet and pushed back, as he stands clad only in a Speedo. Rey tries to hold back her giggles as she digs in her pocket for her phone. Rose _and_ Poe would love this turn of events. But, before she can even drag the device from the back pocket of her jeans, Ben’s voice startles her.

“Don’t even think about it, Wilson.”

She looks up to where he is standing at the top of the stairs, her face heating with the embarrassment of being caught, though the smile on his face tells her he’s not mad.

“What?” Rey playfully tries to feign innocence. “I was just going to send a quick text… let friends know I made it safely.”

He cocks an eyebrow at her. “Sure you were. But just know if I find out that Poe Dameron is using any of those as his new wallpaper on his phone, you might have to deal with a possible lice outbreak when we get back. Just think of all the comb checks you'd have to do...” His threat is casual, but she wonders if maybe he'd really follow through.

“You wouldn’t.”

“Who would question me? I’m the Principal. Mustafar Middle had an outbreak before the break… lots of kids have older siblings.” He continues with a sly shrug, “One can never be too safe.”

Rey considers him for a moment before he turns and starts to head back down the hallway. She pulls her phone out and snaps a quick picture of a young Ben in what is clearly an awkward prom photo. _The lice check will be worth it,_ she thinks, as she rushes to catch up to Ben.

He leads her to a room at the end of the hall and flicks on the lights. Dark blue paint peeks out between old posters of the solar system and bands that have faded into obscurity. Two large bookshelves are stuffed full and sit next to a desk in one corner, a telescope in the other. An old CD player and TV adorn a media stand with perfectly organized DVDs. A small night-light shaped like Saturn is plugged in the wall along the perfectly white baseboard.

“Well, here you are,” he announces, setting her bag down on the bed. “Don’t judge too harshly,” he continues, his cheeks growing rosy, “ _your_ childhood bedroom is probably filled with embarrassing artifacts, too.”

Rey doesn’t tell him that all her childhood artifacts were totted from place to place in a Hefty garbage bag. She doesn’t mention that she has no childhood bedroom to return to. Instead, she just watches him as he moves through the space with ease, opening a door across the room to reveal a small ensuite bathroom.

“If you need anything I’ll be downstairs, the door to the basement is just through the kitchen. So…” he trails off after that as if struggling with what comes next. He seems distracted as his eyes dart awkwardly around the room as if to make sure nothing too embarrassing is left out on display. Rey slowly turns in place, observing the room in full, each little piece giving her a new and interesting insight to a young Ben. She feels him watch her as she picks up a framed photo, this one of a teenage Ben at a concert with a ginger-haired boy and an extremely tall girl.

“So...” Rey inquires, holding up the framed photo, “did you bring a lot of girls up here back in the day? Try to put the moves on them by showing off your knowledge of the solar system?”

“Sadly, no.” Ben laughs. “Surprisingly, astronomy wasn’t a panty-dropper. You’re the first girl to stay up here.”

A weird sense of pride blooms in her chest. “Well lucky me.”

 

* * *

 

“Alright gang,” Leia hollers, “we’ve got enough here to feed an army.” She sets down a giant silver platter loaded with thick slices of perfectly cooked prime rib, the smell of garlic and fresh herbs enough to make Rey’s eyes tear in delight. “Let’s eat!”

Rey's wedged into a seat between Ben and his Uncle Chewie, acutely aware of how small she is compared to the two Sasquatches beside her, which plays to her benefit. With everything being passed around, each man asks her if she wants some of the dish, then proceeds to serve her a portion _he_  finds suitable. Her plate is piled so high Rey worries she might not be able to get back up the stairs later. Leia has already plied her with wine as she helped set the table, and now smiles at Rey as she makes sure to pass the fresh bottle to her.

“So Rey, are you a teacher or an administrator at the school?” Han asks around a mouth full of mashed potatoes.

Her second glass of wine almost empty, Rey's limbs are warm, her shoulders feeling loose as she sets her glass down carefully, afraid to spill a drop on the elegant winter white tablecloth. “I’m the school nurse, actually,” she replies with a smile.

She almost misses it, but Rey catches Han flicking his eyes to Ben before he settles his gaze back on her. “Are you now?”

Rey feels like she’s missing something, but her thoughts are interrupted by Luke, who sits across from her. He raises his glass in a semi-toast. “Now, nursing -- _that’s_ a _noble_ profession,” he proclaims, staring directly across the table at his nephew.

“Luke,” Mara hisses at him, her face already flushing with secondhand embarrassment.

Across the table, Ben visibly shrinks, his gigantic frame sagging perceptibly at Luke’s words. Ben’s expression, normally so stoic and controlled, falters. His jaw clenches and his lids slink over his eyes as he stares downward at his half-empty plate.

“Our Ben here sold himself short staying in primary school his whole life. He could’ve done anything. Gone into academia, started his own company... He could’ve been an amazing politician, like his mother.” Luke turns to Rey and squints his eyes. “Have you heard him speak? That voice! What an orator. He could’ve gone to Yale, could’ve been a legacy--”

“Luke.” The single word, this time from Leia, is a warning, her lips pressed into a thin line as she eyes him from her seat at the head of the table.

“It’s true,” Luke says, rebuffing her.

Rey's pretty sure she's had too much wine at this point, because before Luke can continue his analysis of all the ways in which Ben failed in his career, she uncharacteristically interjects. “Actually, it takes quite a lot of patience and a very specific disposition to be an elementary school principal.”

Ben’s head snaps up, his dark eyes landing on Rey. She feels his gaze like a spotlight, hot and bright and impossible to hide from.  

Everyone is staring at her as she takes another sip from her wine before continuing. “Have you ever seen Ben at work? The kids adore him. He listens to them. Treats them like their thoughts and opinions matter. I would have killed for an adult to just _listen_ to me when I was that age. Not to mention there aren’t many teachers, let alone administrators, that'll push them on the merry go round, or…” Rey pauses, shaking her head. “Ben is extraordinary at his job. He’s making a lasting, positive, impression on children at a crucial age.” Her brow furrows in confusion as she adds, some of the heat of her declaration subdued as she realizes every pair of eyes around the table is now searing her like blaster fire, “The fact you seem to discredit him, especially in a career path so many people already put down, is disheartening. You should be supporting him.”

A loud _clink_ echoes across the otherwise quiet dining room. It’s the sound of Han’s fork as he drops it on his plate, freeing his hands to start a slow, dramatic clapping. “Preach, sister,” he says with a roguish grin.

“ _Jesus_ , Dad, not the slow clap,” Ben mutters, his pale face uncharacteristically red. He clears his throat, keeping his chin tucked to avoid Rey’s gaze, but he seems to know she’s watching him because he mumbles a barely coherent _thanks_  beneath his breath.

Rey gives him a gentle nod, then tosses back the last of wine. Hell, she might as well -- it’s not like she’s going to be driving anywhere, she’ll be safely ensconced in her boss’s teenage bedroom tonight.

_Weird._

“So, Lando, how was your trip to Vegas?” Chewie asks, expertly steering the conversation away from Ben. It’s a practiced ease that makes Rey realize he’d probably done this maneuver more than a few times.

Dinner continues without another outburst on Rey’s end, and Luke stays quiet for the most part, only adding his opinion when asked. Rey can’t help but feel like she’s crossed a line. But with the way that Leia keeps smiling fondly at her, and how Han keeps engaging her in conversation, the unease slips away.

Then before she knows it, everyone is heading in different directions. Han and Chewie ask Ben to help them haul in some more firewood and check on some of the Christmas lights. Han’s busy complaining that they should probably salt the walkways so they don’t ice over as the three men head off to bundle up for the cold. Mara and Amilyn start to carry leftovers to kitchen, while Lando and Luke gather plates. Everyone seems to have a job -- a well rehearsed part in this play -- that once again makes Rey feel like an outsider, the unease creeping right back in. Trying to make herself useful, she starts to gather cups and wine glasses to carry into the kitchen.

“Rey?” Leia’s voice pulls her out of her own thoughts. “It’s our tradition to bake cookies on Christmas Eve. Why don’t we have the gentleman finish clearing the table and you can join me back here in the kitchen in about fifteen minutes?”

Rey smiles, feeling the tingles of something warm fluttering in her belly. Could it be… affection? She nods at Leia and admits bashfully, “I’d really like that.”

“Perfect,” Leia announces, a proud smile forming on her lips, her brows waggling and her eyes glinting with mirth. “You’re gonna love what’s coming next.”

Rey doesn’t know what to do with her fluttering nerves. This whole night has been a roller coaster of emotions for her. The laughter, and stories, even the mild confrontation with Luke all made her feel like she fit in here. That there was place for her here. Not to mention, the flirty comments and burning looks from Ben did little to help calm her nerves.

Slipping off to the restroom down the hall to splash some cool water on her face, Rey realizes her thoughts of Ben have always been a little less than honorable.  But being in such close proximity along with consuming what was probably an entire bottle of wine all by herself do nothing but build the fire inside of her.

Maybe she could drop hints that she was attracted to him… maybe see on the ride back if he wanted to spend some time together over the break before they had to go back to school.

But that could wait. Right now, Rey has cookies to make.

Rey’s heart clenches a little at the thought of helping with such a lovely family tradition. After a few calming breaths she heads back toward the kitchen to help Leia. She rounds the corner a little too quickly and runs straight into Ben, who’s pulling on a beanie. Ben's hands shoot out to steady her and Rey feels their colossal size as they cup her shoulders. She feels his fingertips practically half-way down her back, hot and tingly against the thin knit of her sweater.

“Um,” he mumbles, brow furrowing in thought, “I wanted to, uh…” Rey stares at Ben’s Adam’s apple -- perfectly at her line of sight -- as he swallows. “Thank you,” he says, and when the words slip out,  the pale skin on his neck turns pink. Rey watches it climb toward his jawline and land on his cheeks.

She blinks up at him, now caught in his dark, molten gaze, thoroughly dazed.

“For what you said at dinner,” Ben clarifies, clearing his throat.

Rey watches his eyes flick down to her lips. His Adam’s apple bobs again as he swallows thickly. A thrill shoots through her and she thinks, _Oh god,_ _he’s going to kiss me._

“Rey!” Leia’s voice startles them both.

Ben releases his steadying grip on her shoulders, and for a moment, Rey feels unmoored, like a balloon about to float away on the breeze.

“Watch out for my mom’s decorating skills,” Ben warns as he pulls on his scarf. “She’s a notorious gingerbread pervert.”

Leia scoffs loudly from the doorway, pointing a stern finger at her son.  “Benjamin Bail Chewbacca Solo! Do not defame my character in front of guests!”

“You’re right, Mom, I’m sorry,” Ben snarks, feigning innocence. ”It could’ve been anyone who made those gingerbread men hysterically well-endowed last year.”

“I don’t have time for your smart mouth, Benjamin.” Leia huffs, a wily grin on her lips. She waves her hand, indicating to something overhead above the two of them. “Why don’t you two figure that out real quick so Rey can come help me with these cookies.” Leia turns on her heel and makes herself scarce, leaving the two of them slack-jawed at the mistletoe hanging directly above them.

Rey peers up at the sprig of green and red dangling from the doorframe, embarrassment and excitement flooding her all at once. She looks back at Ben to tell him not to worry… they don’t have to... She knows how wildly inappropriate it would be for him, kissing a colleague he probably has no interest in.

But the words die on her lips as her eyes met Ben’s for just a moment. Then she feels his fingers thread through her hair at the base of her neck, and then the touch of his plush lips meeting hers. The kiss is… otherworldly.

Rey had always guessed Ben’s lips were made for kissing, and she definitely was _not_ wrong. The way his mouth molds against hers makes her weak in the knees. Ben nibbles lightly at her bottom lip before hastily pulling away, licking his lips as if to savor the kiss.

“I better get out there,” he breathes, thumbing toward the picture windows overlooking the front lawn.

And with that, Ben rushes out the front door, leaving Rey feeling dizzy. She blinks, staring at the door as it closes behind him. She’s unsure if her precarious state comes from all the wine, or from that earth-shattering kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading and for all the nice comments so far! We're super excited to read every single one. xo


	3. Joy to the world

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things get a bit more lively, and Ben has a sweet tooth.

As soon as Rey joins the other women in the kitchen after Ben rocked her world with that unexpected and staggering kiss beneath the mistletoe, Leia looks at her from across the large marble-top island and gives her a coy smile. Suddenly, the kitchen feels a bit too warm, and Rey isn’t sure if her cheeks are red from the lingering heat of the double ovens or the memory of how Ben’s lips and body felt against hers.

 

“Rey, why don’t you work on the cut-out cookies? The dough’s already rolled for you,” Leia says, pointing to the large rectangle of sugar cookie dough rolled to a perfect thickness on the marble slab in front of her.

 

“Of course,” Rey agrees, eager to please, and eager to have something to focus on other than walking around in a shell-shocked daze. 

 

Mara, who’s standing at the stovetop busy making fudge, calls over in a soft voice, “Sorry about Luke, Rey.” Rey looks up at the other woman, wide-eyed and a little embarrassed that the dinner table debacle is being brought up again. “He means well,” Mara adds, giving Rey a sad smile. 

 

“Yeah, well my brother needs to learn an appropriate way of communicating,” Leia mutters, rolling her eyes. She sighs, long and suffering, before eyeing Rey across the island. “Mara’s right, though. Luke loves Ben so much -- he’s like the son he never had --” at this, Rey sees Mara nod in agreement as she stirs the fudge concoction “--and he gets carried away sometimes, forgetting Ben’s not a child and doesn’t need to be poked and prodded along to reach his potential. Not anymore.”

 

“Oh,” Rey squeaks, not really sure what it all means, and feeling a little out of place with this familial intimacy. She feels like she’s being let it on a trade secret, and again the butterflies of unease rumble beneath her ribs. 

 

The doorbell rings, startling everyone in the kitchen, and from the great room they bear Lando call out that he’s on it. Bouts of laughter follow moments later, and everyone in the kitchen is excited to learn of the new arrival.

 

“Either way,” Amilyn says, continuing the conversation from her spot along the back countertop, it’s gray and white marble expanse topped off by a row of picture windows looking east out over snow as far as the eye can see, “I’m pretty sure once Luke gets some Reindeer Food in his belly, he’ll cheer right up.”

 

“Ohhh, yeah,” Leia agrees with a sly nod. “That man  _ loves _ his Christmas Crack.” 

 

Rey smiles, raising a brow as she looks up from the star shaped cookie she’s placing on the prepared baking sheet. “Um, what’s Reindeer Food?”

 

Just then, Maz Kanata, Rey’s old boss, comes sweeping into the kitchen, her thick glasses comical on her tiny frame. “Rey Wilson, you’re lucky I didn’t know you were ignorant of the edible joy known as Reindeer Food back when I was your boss, because I sure as heckle-beckle would’ve fired you for such an unforgivable offense.”

 

Maz, a primary school principal for over 40 years and an elementary educator for the other 15 years of her professional life, had developed quite the vocabulary for alternative swear words. Back at school, Rey and the rest of the staff had often found themselves in stitches laughing over her strange expressions. Now, Rey wants to giggle at her statement, but she feels a bit worried that she really has somehow personally offended Maz by not knowing what the hell Reindeer Food is. 

 

Eyes wide, she blinks at Maz and murmurs, “I’m sorry, I just--”

 

But Maz comes over and stands beside Rey, hip-checking her. “I’m kidding, child,” she says, her eyes as big as saucers, her mouth puckered comically. “But really, thank sweet baby Jesus you’re here to finally get yourself an education.”

 

Amilyn tilts her head and grins at Rey, her eyes dancing with childlike excitement. “It’s just a snack mix, Rey,” she starts, attempting to explain Reindeer Food in a way that will convey just a fraction of its deliciousness. “Corn Chex, M&Ms, pretzels, and peanuts all mixed together with melted white chocolate. It’s insane,” she says, punctuating her statement with wide eyes. “And addictive. Like crack,” she adds with a definitive nod.

 

“I can’t believe I’ve never tried it,” Rey mulls aloud. After all, she’s the girl who always has the food. It’s almost the travesty Maz hinted at, to be honest. 

 

“Well, we’re about to fix that,” Mara adds. “Don’t you worry.”

 

“Mmhmm,” Leia says as she stirs some bright green icing, her lips fighting a smirk, “you know who else loves the crack?” Leia looks up and meets Rey’s gaze across the island, raising a single smug brow. “Ben.” Her lips lose their fight and a giddy smirk stretches across Leia’s mouth. “He just _ loves _ sweet things.”

 

At the mention of Ben -- her very real  _ boss _ , Ben -- Rey feels her cheeks flush all over again. And is Leia implying that Rey herself is sweet, and then Ben could be… sweet on  _ her _ ?

 

She blinks, suddenly feeling like her life is way too surreal. Is she really standing in Senator Organa’s kitchen, making cut-out cookies? Is she really in Chandrila, spending Christmas with this lively and slightly insane family? Did she really just practically make-out with her boss in the hallway?

 

Beside her, Maz lets loose a boisterous cackle. “That boy needs him some sugar,” she agrees as she reaches over and swats Rey’s rear end playfully. “And some sweet, sweet lovin’!”

 

Rey’s jaw drops open, both at the strange locker room pat her ass just received as well as at Maz’s announcement. 

 

“Oh my gosh, look at that poor girl’s face,” Mara marvels as she swirls the last of the fudge into a shallow pan to start to firm up. “I think you’ve shocked her to death, Maz, you old pervy bird.”

 

Rey blinks and attempts to focus on the cookies she’s cutting but instead finds she just put her palm right in the middle of the bell shape she’d been pressing. The piece of dough is temporarily ruined and Rey balls it up, swallowing uncomfortably. 

 

“Hey, I’m not the only degenerate in this kitchen!” Maz blurts, pointing her bony fingers at Leia. “Don't let this one fool you,” she explains to Rey, very seriously. “She may seem sweet, but this bitty here once flashed a cop to get out of a speeding ticket. She doesn’t have a modest bone in her body!”

 

Leia howls with laughter. “And here I thought I would have a single Christmas free of your outrageous lies,” she says, pressing her shoulders back and sliding her hands along her ribs and hips, purposely displaying her half-naked Santa-themed men on her apron. “C’mon Rey, let’s get these in the oven so we can get to the good stuff,” she says, waggling her brows.

 

Rey smiles, most of her earlier worry dissipating, but she still feels a little out of place as she watches the easy rapport the other women have as they move through their roles in the kitchen. 

 

“So Maz, what happened?” Amilyn asks.  “I thought you were going to that naked yoga retreat for the holiday?”

 

Oh  _ god _ .  _ That _ mental image is more than Rey needs. 

 

“The nudity was optional, Amilyn,” Maz announces. “And, it doesn’t matter, anyway. With my flight canceled I had no choice, then Leia told me Ben was bringing a  _ friend  _ home. I knew I had to be here.” Maz reaches out and pats Rey’s shoulder.  “I’m glad it’s you, dear. Lord knows I was worried that Bazine finally tricked Ben into dating her. That woman can smell a trust fund from a mile away.”

 

Bazine Natal was the secretary for the elementary school. The primary school, where Ben and Rey worked, housed kindergarten and both first and second grades, and connected with the elementary by a large shared gymnasium. So while technically Bazine wasn’t a coworker, she was notorious for showing up in their part of the building, always with little excuses here and there that never made sense to Rey.  _ Your coffee maker is working better. Oh, your vending machine has the chips I like. Oh, the copier is acting funny over there…  _ Now it was all glaringly obvious. Bazine has just been trying to get Ben’s attention.

 

“Like I would  _ let _ Ben bring that woman anywhere near me,” Leia calls from across the kitchen. “She told me to my face that she voted for my opposition in the last election, which is fine and her right to do so but, Snoke?”  Leia trails off, shaking her head in frustration as she mumbles about something under her breath about a complete lack of judgment. “Then, as soon as she found out Ben and I were related, it was all ‘ _ oh senator Organa you’ve done so much for your country’  _  like I didn’t already have her number.”

 

“Do you remember that college girl who chased him around when he was getting his masters?” Amilyn asks, while Mara visibly shudders. “She seemed so sweet, but Maz was right, that one was rotten to the core.”

 

“ _ Lord _ ,” Leia sighs. “Am I glad that Ben inherited my brains! He can spot a snake in the grass easily, that’s for sure.” She sets down another tray of cookies to cool, then decorate, in front of Rey.  Giving her a wink, Leia adds, “Sadly, he also inherited Han’s charisma with the ladies. So he’s absolute shit at letting the good ones know he’s interested.”

 

“Hey!” Han hollers from the doorway leading to the mudroom just off from the kitchen. He’s already deposited his dirty boots, and is working on untangling himself from a scarf as he announces, “I will have you know that all this—” he waves his free hand down his body as he starts towards his wife, “charisma is what got me  _ you _ . So the Solo charm works, but only on women of a certain caliber. They have to be beautiful _ and  _ smart.” 

 

“You’re only saying that so I’ll give you some cookies.”

 

“Maybe…” Han gives Leia a little eyebrow wiggle. “Doesn’t mean it isn’t true”

 

Mara and Amilyn laugh, while Maz scoffs at the scene. Rey can’t help but smile, too, as Leia scoops up three cookies and places them in her husband’s hand and plants a kiss to his cheek. “Now get out of here,” she says with a laugh. “There’s no room for cookie beggars in this kitchen.”

 

Mara and Amilyn begin to tease Leia over her and Han’s teenage-like libido and Rey purposely tries to ignore that conversation, instead staring down at her handiwork. She notices the other women are distracted, and as Han shuffles by back out the kitchen toward the great room, Rey slides a sugar cookie his way. 

 

Han’s blue eyes twinkle as he gave her a crooked grin. “Eh, don’t let ‘em make you believe Ben has women chasing after him left and right. The kid’s usually oblivious or just ignores women like that, anyway,. You’re a shoo-in, trust me. Just ask Ben for an anatomy refresher, he used to  _ love _ playing doctor as a kid.”

 

Rey can instantly feel her face flush about ten shades darker as Han shoves the cookie in his mouth with a grin and lopes away. _ What is with this family? _ They just seem to love to get each other’s goat.

 

“So,” Rey begins as she and Leia start to decorate some R-rated sugar cookies, praying the flush on her face has subsided, “how did you and Han meet?”

 

The other women snigger, while Maz clucks her tongue. Leia, however, just smiles. 

 

“Well, we met while I was at school.” She grins at the cookies in front of her, giving one ginger lady a set of breasts to rival Dolly Parton’s —oddly fitting, Rey thinks. “It wasn’t anything too exciting. I was a Grad student in Political Science, he was a young professor in Archaeology. We had bumped into each other a few times and after he did me a small favor,  he finally asked me out.”

 

Rey, so focused on watching Leia smile at long past memories, didn’t hear Ben approach. She didn’t even notice he was in the kitchen until one large hand went to steal a cookie from the tray in front of her.

 

“Don’t let her give you the PG version she tells at political dinners and at anniversary parties.” Ben’s voice is low, right along the shell of her ear. She feels the heat from his body on her back. The proximity causes mothra-sized butterflies to swarm her belly. “She and dad met at a bar and fought the whole night. She called him a self/righteous asshole, and he called her a spoiled princess who had never known a day of hard work in her life.” Rey’s brows lift at this reveal, and she turns her head to look at him as he takes a big bite from the cookie he stole. “And two weeks later, that heathen was running from the cops after an anti-nuclear war protest on campus, at which I believe Mom technically assaulted an officer—“

 

“He tried to man-handle me!” Leia squeals. 

 

Ben grins and just keeps going. “So she takes off across the quad and spies Dad leaving campus for the day, then dives into the backseat of his old Falcon, demanding that he  _ fucking punch it _ . But, he refused until she agreed to a date with him.”

 

“She agreed to the date  _ after  _ I helped her, kid.” Han interrupts, returning to the kitchen to pilfer more sweets. He snatches a handful of rhe freshly prepared Reindeer Food. “I would never have left her in a bind, even though I wasn’t her biggest fan before that day. She, though,” Han pauses and points a white chocolate coated finger at his wife, “ _ she _ wanted me from that first night.”

 

“I wanted to strangle you,” Leia deadpans. 

 

Han laughs and kisses her on the cheek as she unsuccessfully tries to shoo him out of the kitchen. Again. 

 

Ben is standing behind Rey, still way too close. “These are really good, Rey,” he says, his voice barely a whisper, winding a hot thrill through her. 

 

Overly thankful that everyone seems to be distracted by Han and Leia’s playful bickering and incessant flirting, Rey hopes no one notices what Ben’s proximity to her is doing to her body. 

It’s not like the thought of Ben as  _ more  _ than a colleague or boss had never crossed her mind. She had admitted —drunkenly— to Rose after Friday night margaritas that she wouldn’t be against climbing him like a tree. She had also maybe had some not-so-pure thoughts about him…a few times...a week. But between her lecherous thoughts, this warm, familial teasing, and that gravity-shifting kiss under mistletoe didn’t mean  _ he _ was actually interested in her. 

 

For all she knew, Ben was completely unaffected by it all. 

 

She could always test the waters. He  _ was _ really close. Dip a toe in, find out if it’s shallow or deep... Take a risk... Isn’t that what Finn was always telling her? 

 

Slowly, Rey leans back a bit until her shoulders meet Ben's wide chest. Turning her head back to look up at him, she can’t help but smile as his breathing seems to stop short. 

 

“Thank you,” she replies sweetly to his compliment on her cookie decorating skills. “By the way, thank you, she says quietly. “I’m glad you invited me. This has been… well, it’s been the best.”

 

Rey watches as a light pink blush blooms up Ben’s neck, and she wonders if the tips of his ears, hidden by his dark mane of hair, are pink this time, too.

 

“Of course,” he says, his chest rumbling against her back, “I’m glad you came.”

 

Rey smiles brighter at him, focusing back on her icing duties, trying to ignore him as his big hand brushes hers while he steals another cookie. 

 

Soon enough, Han and Ben are both chased from the kitchen, Leia instructing Ben to go help Maz get settled in Amilyn’s room, followed by Maz claiming she could sleep on the couch —or in Chewie’s room. Both ideas are quickly shot down but Rey doesn’t miss Leia’s knowing grin. 

 

By the time the last of the cut-outs have been iced and the gingerbread men have all surpassed “R” and are properly X-rated, Rey feels like she’s passed some sort of hazing ritual. If they’ll take her, this is one sorority Rey feels honored to be part of. 

 

“I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard in ages,” Rey says with a content sigh, slumping into a stool alongside the island. Her feet are aching after standing for so long during the cookie baking extravaganza, and her eyes are literally burning from the wine and the long day. She glances at the ridiculous sex positions of the Kama Sutra wall clock -- really, could there  _ be _ a more fitting piece of decor for this wacky and unashamed family? -- and sees it’s well past midnight. “But, I think I have to go crash,” she announces wistfully, sorry to end the fun.

 

Everyone bids her a friendly goodnight, Leia hugging her gently and kissing her temple just like a real mom would. The tender thought stings Rey’s eyes as she climbs the stairs to Ben’s childhood room. Quickly, she moves about, readying for bed and brushing her teeth and hair. 

 

Bending down, she examines the little nightlight plugged into the wall outlet. When she was a little kid, she’d been terrified of the dark, never really knowing what was out there. One of her older foster sisters had bought her a little flower nightlight when she was eight, and Rey ended up taking it as one of her only prized possessions as she spent the following years being moved from home to home. The little light had always helped to soothe her unease at the sudden change of a new home. To this day, Rey still had the light plugged in her bedroom, offering her a familiar comfort. Flicking this light’s switch on, Rey lets the dim, warm light brighten Ben’s bedroom. She smiles softly to herself, thinking it’s probably a good idea to sleep with it on. The last thing she needs is to wake up with a nightmare here. Knowing her luck, she’d wake up everyone else in the house, too.

 

Right before she can crawl into bed, there’s a knock at her door. 

 

“Rey?” Ben’s voice calls from the other side as she scoots across the room to open the door quickly. Ben is there,wearing a pair of flannel pajama pants and a tight black T-shirt—dear god Poe might be right— that seems to be perfectly snug against his muscular arms and chest. He offers up a few stacked blankets with a small plate resting on top. Rey steps to the side, inviting him in.

 

“My mom sent me up here with extra blankets,” he explains as he moves past her into the room. Setting the blankets and cookie-laden plate down on the bed, he adds, “And I brought you the traditional stolen midnight cookie.”

 

“You stole me a cookie?” Rey asks as she picks up one of the cookies to examine it.

 

“Well, it’s tradition. My mom use to sneak one up to me every year.” Ben scoops up the other cookie and takes a bite, crumbs tumbling down his chin as he gives her a smile. “What?”

 

“I would have never guessed you were the kind of man who loved sweets.”

 

“Oh?” Ben asks as he moves closer. “And what kind of man did you think I was?”

 

Was he flirting with her? There was no way. Right? Ben couldn’t possibly flirting with her.

 

“I don’t know, kind of like Ron Swanson. I figured you probably have some cabin you disappeared to so you could work on your wood carvings or something, so it comes as a surprise that you have this, soft gooey center.”

 

“You would be the only one that thinks that,” he mumbles as he runs his hand through his hair. 

 

“I mean, you  _ do _ have multiple books of poetry, and feminist literature—“ Rey starts. 

 

“God you’re a brat aren’t you?” Ben says with a huffed laugh, “I should’ve known…”

 

“—and a night light.” Rey says, finishing her statement and ignoring his comment as she pops the last of her cookie in her mouth.

 

“Actually,” Ben says, “I should take that with me. It’s dark downstairs in the cold basement. Maybe I should take these blankets, too.”He starts to reach past her for the blankets he carried up. 

“You don’t have to be so dramatic,” she tells him as her fingers curl around his wrist. “There’s no shame in you being a big, old softie.”

 

Color blooms on his cheeks, and Rey thinks she might have a new kink: making Ben Solo blush.  “I wouldn’t say that I’m soft, exactly,” he mumbles, his eyes suddenly going wide as if the words slipped out without his permission.

 

Rey quickly realizes his meaning as she takes in how close they stand to each other now, their chests merely inches apart. Ben, just a breath away, with blushing cheeks, and plush lips that Rey hasn’t been able to stop thinking about.

 

His warm amber eyes search her face as the silence seems to stretch between them.

 

“Rey,” Ben practically whispers, “about earlier... under the mistletoe. I’m sorry if I was out of line. I completely understand if I made you uncomfortable in any way. It was not my intention when I invited you. I don’t want you to feel awkward or god forbid pressured—“

 

Rey can’t listen to him anymore. In a sudden rush of courage, she lifts up on her toes and crushes her lips to his. It’s a messy ordeal at first as she catches Ben completely by surprise, their teeth clacking together. Then, his arms are around her, pulling her close as he molds his mouth to hers. His tongue darts out to tease her bottom lip and she opens for him as he deepens their kiss. Rey presses her hips flush against him, feeling what is likely a very impressive hard on. Ben groans as he presses back, then quickly pulls away from her completely.

 

Rey has to fight down a squeal when he suddenly  picks her up and carries her the few steps back, settling her down on the bed. 

 

“ _ Fuck, _ ” he swears against her lips. “Rey I...I can’t believe—“

 

He’s cut off by a noise in the hallway—a thud followed by a curse from Lando, by the sound of it. They both instantly freeze, and Rey stares up at Ben’s pale face, his pupils blown wide. After a beat he speaks again. “Rey, tell me no. If you want, to stop, I mean. That’s all you have to say…” He pauses, swallows hard. “But, I’d really really like to kiss you a bit more.” 

 

Rey nods eagerly, whispering a soft “Please.” Ben groans as he pushes her legs apart, settling his thigh against her now aching core. He presses against her, causing her to squirm and gasp. “But you have to be a good girl and be quiet, okay?”

 

Oh.  _ Oh, shit. _

 

She’s  _ really  _ not expecting this from him. It’s like a switch just flipped and nerdy Ben Solo turned into  _ this  _ and she’s all for it. 

 

His lips move against hers at a heated pace as Ben presses his thigh against her again, causing her to shudder. His mouth moves down the column of her throat and nips at her pulse point, which he can feel beating wildly. 

 

Rey’s hands fly up and pull at the hem of his shirt. She needs more. More of Ben. She wants to feel his heated flesh against hers. 

 

Ben sits back for a moment as he tugs at the hem of her oversized t-shirt, then quickly follows his lead and tears her oversized T-shirt right up and over her head. 

 

Rey lies back down and feels her nipples tighten against the cold air. “Ben. Please.” 

 

“God, you’re perfect.” He whispers as he once again covers her with his body, careful not to crush her. 

 

His lips find the heated skin of her chest and Ben works his way down until he finds one of her tight little nipples and pulls it into his mouth, rolling the bud against his tongue and nipping it with his teeth. Rey has to fight down a cry as her back bows and she presses her cunt harder against his thick thigh. Oh god, he can probably feel how ridiculously wet she is right now.

 

Ben pulls back, and with one hand pulls his shirt over his head, tossing it somewhere across the room. Giving Rey only a moment to take in the defined planes of his broad chest and toned abs —and fuck she’s not looking forward to telling Poe he’s totally right— he presses his mouth back against hers, laying them back down. Ben’s lips and hands seem to be everywhere at once, like he can’t get enough of her. 

 

Ben’s large hand lingers over the waistband of Rey’s pajama pants, and he pulls back from her lips, eyes blown wide, as he asks, “Rey, can I?” 

 

An electric thrill runs through her and pools in her abdomen. She is absolutely drenched now at the idea of him touching her. “Oh god, please.”

 

Ben’s nimble fingers slide under the band, and push her soaked panties to the side. The moment his thick fingers press against her aching core, Rey has to bite into Ben’s shoulder to keep from crying out. 

 

“Fuck, Rey, you’re so wet.” Ben groans as he buries his face against her neck, kissing his way across her heated flesh. Ben slips one finger inside of her, his thumb circling her clit. Rey can’t help but lift her hips. “Is this all for me, sweetheart?” Ben asks as his grinds against the spot inside of her that makes her buck against his hand. “Is that the spot? Right there?” 

 

Rey clenches around his digits as he begins to pummel the spot inside her. She can feel how hard he is, his cock pressing against her thigh, desperate for release as she rides his hand. She’s hurtling towards the edge when she feels him add a second finger.

 

“Oh, Ben. Ben, please,” she practically moans. 

 

“Please, what?” He asks pulling back slightly to watch her face, his fingers never relenting in their assault.

 

She winds one hand through his soft hair, her other hand reaching down to brush against his cock. Ben groans, the sound almost a little too loud in the quiet space and the thin walls. “I need more,” Rey gasps. “I need to come. Please, Ben.”

 

Ben looks absolutely devastated. His lips are swollen, his eyes glossy as he dips his head down to whisper in her ear. “Come for me then, sweetheart. Come all over my hand.” 

 

Then he curls his fingers inside her, zeroing back in on that spot. It’s as if stars suddenly explode behind Rey’s eyes, as she falls over the edge, her muscles clamping down on Ben’s fingers still moving inside of her, determined to draw her orgasm out longer. As she bucks wildly against him, her hips thrashing, she presses her mouth to his in a desperate plea to muffle her cries of pleasure as her world spins on its axis.

 

It takes Rey a moment to come back down. Ben softens his touch, gently stroking her as her breathing returns to normal. 

 

“Holy shit.” Her words sneak out on a sigh as Ben removes his hand from between her thighs. She watches, dazed and panting, as he brings it up to his lips and licks his soaked digits clean. His eyes flutter closed as he savors her taste and Rey stares at him in awe. 

 

Once they’re clean, Ben pulls her closer to him and tucks her gently into his chest. “God, you taste amazing. I plan to watch you come again while my face is buried between your thighs.”

 

Rey can’t help the whimper that escapes her, not know what to say to  _ that.  _ She burrows her head deep in the the crease of his shoulder until after a moment, Rey becomes aware of Ben’s throbbing erection pressing against her stomach. But when she tries to wiggle her hand down to touch him, he just pulls her closer. 

 

“But, Ben,” she begins to protest, but a deep chuckle silences her.

 

“Not now. If you touch me now, Rey, I won’t be able to hold back. And there’s no way we could be quiet. And, I also do  _ not _ have a condom,” he adds, mumbling. 

 

Rey nods, biting her lip but accepting his answer. She settles for cuddling closer. “What? You don’t keep a secret stash up here from back in the day?” she teases. 

 

“I don’t know if you noticed the calligraphy set, but I think you’re giving teenaged me way too much credit.”

 

Rey giggles at his joke, and presses a kiss against his clavicle. The silence settles around them and Rey feels Ben’s heart hammer in his chest. They don’t speak anymore as they lay together peacefully, Rey apparently drifting off as she blinks and realizes she’s awake next to a fully-clothed Ben pulling one of the extra blankets up around her. Quickly, she reaches out, her fingers curling around his wrist, a silent question in Rey’s touch.

 

“I gotta go, sweetheart. The last thing we need is for them to find me in here half dressed.” 

 

Rey hums her half-awake understanding. From what little she knows of this family, they’d definitely never hear the end of it. 

 

“Your night light,” Rey murmurs, “it’s dark down there.” She runs her thumb over the back of his hand. “It’s dark  _ and _ lonely down there.”

 

Ben just smiles down at her as he brushes a strand of hair from her face. “No, you keep it in here, Rey,” he says, pulling his hand free from her and stepping towards the door. “I’m good.”

 

Rey barely registers the door clicking closed as sleep finally pulls her under.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! So sorry for the wait on this! I’ve been in a funk and Deedreamer has been more than loving and patient with me. Good news is the rest of the fic is basically done. So no long waits! Thank you for sticking with us and for all of your support! All comments and kudos are appreciated and loved. Thank you all so much! And much love to Wilson over at the Writing Den for inspiring us.


	4. Underneath the Tree

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to GeekGoddess09 -- she's been through the wringer these last several weeks and needs some extra love, y'all. I told her we were posting today so you guys would all send her some much-needed sugar in the form of kudos or comments... don't let me down! <3 <3 
> 
> PLEASE ENJOY REY AND BEN AND CHRISTMAS HIJINKS.

 

Rey wakes to an empty bed. She wonders, in the gloomy gray of morning, if what happened between her and Ben in the dead of night was real or just a figment of her suddenly over-eager imagination. She blinks up at the ceiling and turns toward the doorway, glancing down to see the nightlight still plugged into the outlet.

_ No, you keep it in here, _ Rey, Ben had said,  _ I’m good. _

At the time, Rey’s mind had been spinning. With her addled brain and her kiss-stung lips, all Rey could think had been  _ yes, you  _ _ are _ _ good. _

And yet, Ben had left the nightlight in the bedroom with her instead of taking it down to where he was holed up in the basement, a place Rey could only imagine held little by way of comfort, light, or warmth.

Rey yawns and stretches, the neckline of her flannel pajama top rubbing against a sensitive spot on her clavicle. “Ouch,” she mumbles, shifting the top of her button-down over and looking down to see a purplish-red spot about the size of a nickel blooming on her collarbone. She sucks in a breath of air, eyes going wide. The memories come flooding back, her nipples tightening and skin turning to gooseflesh as she recollects the feel of Ben’s lips and tongue as he stroked and sucked that one sensitive spot over and over again.  

“Ohhhh,” she breathes as a shiver runs up the length of her spine, ending with an uncontrollable twitch to her shoulders.

_ Well, that definitely happened, then. _

“Okay,” she announces to herself, using her best soothing nurse’s voice. “Just remain calm. You’re two consenting adults who shared some things that led to some simple kissing and a teeny, tiny, little hickey.”

She stands, flinging the bed sheets off of her body, and steps in front of the dresser mirror along the opposite wall, yanking her collar away from her neck for a better look. Rey grimaces, seeing the obvious little welt from a different angle, feeling much less confident even as she mutters the last of her pep-talk to her reflection. “No big deal.”

She dashes into the little attached bathroom and flicks on the shower, eager to get under the warmth to attempt to wash some of her guilt away. The warm spray soaks her hair and trickles over the tender spot on her collarbone. Rey can’t help but feel like, once again, she wants the ground to open up and swallow her whole rather than having to spend the day dealing with the fallout of… whatever lonely-hormone-fueled thing transpired between her and Ben the night before.

The man is her boss.  _ Her boss!   _ Coming here was a very, very bad idea. 

As the last of her conditioner is rinsed from her hair, Rey turns off the water, and proceeds to dry off and dress for the day. She towel dries her hair and pulls it back in a double bun to keep it from becoming too frizzy, then splashes on a tiny bit of mascara and some lip balm. She quickly straightens up the bed and fluffs the pillows, and as the air moves about the rooms, she gets a whiff of something piney and manly -- a light musk that she knows right away belongs to Ben. His scent is on her -- well, his -- but _her_ bedsheets now, and she flushes again at the reality of what they did under the cover of the dark.

Tucking the pillow back in place, Rey exhales deeply. “Time to face the music,” she mutters to herself, heading out of the room and downstairs, praying to the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future that she’ll get through the day without completely embarrassing herself.

“Good morning, Sunshine!” Han hollers from his reclining chair as he catches Rey coming down the stairs. “Sleep alright, did ya?” 

Rey’s hand trails the banister and her head snaps up to meet his gaze a she takes the last few steps into the expansive great room. Han’s eyes are bright with mirth, but Rey can’t help but worry that his half-grin is all-too-knowing. Does he suspect…? Could he know Ben came to her room last night? Could he and Leia have overheard… anything?

Rey forces a smile, shoving the intrusive thoughts away. “Good morning,” she chirps. “I slept great, thank you.” She walks over and pats Han once, a gentle and slightly awkward tap to the top of his shoulder, and delivers an awkward, “Merry Christmas.”

“Aww,” he smirks, using the backs of his legs to force the recliner closed. Han stands, holding his arms out on either side, cocking his head. “You can do better than that, can’t you sweetheart?”

If anyone else had asked, it would’ve skeeved Rey out. But somehow, the way Han looks, the way his crooked smile is just so… Rey knows he’s sincere. Somehow, in the few hours she’s known him, he makes her feel protected. Like a father would have, or so she imagines, if she’d ever been lucky enough to have someone in that role. With a real smile this time, Rey leans in to his embrace, awkward at first, until she feels his palm pat her back soothingly.

“There ya, go,” he says with one last parting pat at her shoulder blades. “Why don’t you go check the tree and see if Santa brought you anything?”

Rey grins at his foolishness and despite her own misgivings about the holiday, she can’t help the frisson of joy she feels, just being included in the family’s celebrations for this one tiny moment. She nods and makes her way over toward the massive tree, her little gifts still standing out like sore thumbs amongst the elegant and elaborately wrapped presents beneath the tree.

“Good morning.” His baritone stops her in her tracks as she turns to the source, finding Ben as he slips through the kitchen doorway, a gleeful smile on his face as he balances a mug in each of his hands. “Here’s yours,” he says, thrusting the steaming mug in his right hand toward her as he approaches.

Rey’s brows arch. “Mine?” she asks, blinking.

“Yours,” Ben replies. His tongue pokes out to swipe at his lower lip and Rey can’t help but think where else that tongue was, just mere hours earlier.

“But how did you know I was even coming downstairs?” she asks, still quirking a curious brow at him.

“Oh, that’s simple,” Ben asserts. “I heard the water in the shower stop and figured we’d see you downstairs momentarily. Besides,” his smile grows larger as his features become more animated, “it’s time for presents!” he exclaims. Rey can’t help but notice his eyes crinkle with pure, childlike joy -- an expression that wouldn’t be one bit out of place among their grade school students.

“Oh thank goodness you’re down, Rey,” Leia announces, breezing in from the kitchen behind Ben. She rests a palm on his shoulder, peeking her tiny body around her son’s huge frame. “I thought this one was gonna lose it if he had to wait any longer,” she says, rolling her eyes.

Again, Rey feels a grin tug at her lips. “Well, no need to delay the fun any longer,” she proclaims before adding with a flourish, “the gift giving may commence.”

After twenty minutes of furious tossing of packages from one lap to another, the great room floor is littered with gold and red bows, wadded up and discarded swathes of wrapping paper, and opened boxes and bags. “Rey,” Leia calls over from her spot on the couch, “your gifts were lovely. The handmade soap is my favorite!”

“Oh, thank you,” Rey replies. “Your tin of homemade shortbread and, um, gingerbread _men_ will be remaining sealed and going home full with me to enjoy later.”

“Of course,” Leia grins, “all the better to ogle in private.” She waggles her brows, then takes a sniff of the daintily wrapped soap bar in her hands. “What’s this scent again?”

The gentle praise warms Rey and she sits up a little taller from her spot on the floor near the foot of the tree. “It’s lavender lemongrass,” she replies. “One of my personal favorites.”

“I can see why,” Leia agrees, taking another deep inhale. As she’s breathing in, her eyes focus on the floor next to Rey, then narrow into a squint. “Is that… did we forget a gift?”

“Oh!” Ben says. “That for Rey. From me.”

“For me?” she asks, her jaw dropping open in surprise. Ben hands her the gift, about the size of a shirt box. Rey rips off the paper and finds a box of old fashioned Christmas ribbon candy… and a set of four CD’s entitled “Party Tyme Karaoke: Christmas Time Party Pack.”

_ Oh my God. He didn’t. _

“You didn’t,” she murmurs.

“I did!” Ben is practically vibrating with excitement beside her. “Now you’ll have plenty of songs to sing and keep us company on the drive back.”

_ Hard Candy Christmas _ … the overheard singing… he’d somehow cobbled together a gift based on exactly the things she'd claimed to love. The fact that she’d been completely lying had little to do with the effort Ben had clearly gone through to get her these gifts.

“Wow,” Rey whispers, dumbfounded, feeling her eyes get misty. She sniffs, shoving the emotion back down. “I… I don’t know what to say. Thank you, Ben.” She swallows and glances up at him through her lashes. “I wish I had something more for you than the soap,” she mumbles.

“I love the soap,” Ben announces, all seriousness, without hesitation. Rey feels her heart skip a beat as her eyes drop to Ben’s full lips, then flick back up to his chocolate brown irises. 

“Okay,” Rey says, blinking, trying to shake herself out of the dizzying desire that has started to creep up her chest and neck in streaks of pink heat. She clears her throat and quickly stands, reaching for her half-empty mug of coffee. “I’m just gonna,” she announces to the room, motioning to the coffee mug with her free hand, “grab a quick refill, in the… the kitchen.”

Except Rey walks into the hallway leading toward the den, the entrance right beside the kitchen doorway.

“Uh, Rey?” Han calls, and she stops in her tracks, realizing she’s gone the wrong direction.

“Yes?” she squeaks, turning around and staring at Ben and his parents with wide eyes.

“The kitchen’s that way,” Han says with a cock-sure grin, using his thumb to point toward Rey’s left.

Rey nods, feeling that pink heat trail all the way up to her cheeks. “It sure is,” she agrees before darting away and disappearing into the kitchen and out of their sight. She’s silently cursing herself and topping off her mug of coffee when she hears someone else enter the room. Turning to find Maz staring at her, Rey gives the tiny woman a little half smile.

“Need a top off, too?” She asks, holding the pot out to her be-speckled friend and mentor.

“No, dear. I came to check on you.” Maz was always quick to the point. “I know Christmas isn’t your favorite. No matter what you told that boy out there.” Of course Maz knows. She was the one who hired Rey four years ago, and ever since, Maz had been on the receiving end of Rey's less than enthusiastic Christmas spirit. “So why don’t we just cut to the chase and _you_ tell me why you’re upset, _I_ will give you some advice and comfort and _we_ can go back out there and watch Mara try to convince everyone she loves that gift Luke got her in front of everyone, okay?”

Rey couldn’t help but laugh a little, even though her eyes had been welling up.

“It’s just… it’s… that’s a _family_ out there, Maz!” she exclaims, gesturing towards the living room. “A  _ real _ family. With flaws, but they still they love each other, and they joke with one another... They have traditions and memories and I… I have… well, I don’t.” She takes in a big gulping breath, trying to calm herself. “I don’t have  _ any _ of those things. I don’t know what I was thinking coming here. I should have told Ben no. Because… well, because, they make me feel welcome.” Rey says it so quickly, so harshly, that she surprises herself. She wipes at the tears that have started to fall down her face.

“They make me feel welcome and like I fit in. Leia listens to me, and Han even gave me the  _ best _ hug. You saw Chewie teasing me earlier! And I really  _ really _ love it. I do.” Rey nods, her eyes filling with fresh tears as her reality sets in. “And next year, it’s not going to be like this. Next year, I’m gonna be alone again. Eating Chinese leftovers and staying in my apartment. I’m going to be alone, and thinking about all of  _ this _ . It was fine before. When I didn’t  _ know _ . You can’t miss something you never had. But now… now I’m gonna really really miss this, Maz.”

Maz takes the mug from Rey’s hands, setting it onto the counter. Then, she pulls the younger woman down to her diminutive height and wraps her arms around her.

“Oh, child. You don’t need to think like that. You have no idea what next year will bring. Or the year after that. But I do know that next year you will be more than welcomed back. If you want to come here, you can. There is  _ always _ room for you here.”

Rey couldn’t help the sob that wracks her body. They stay like that, locked in a comforting embrace, for a moment as Maz lets Rey cry it out. Not a moment after Rey has finally calmed herself and dried her tears, she hears Leia holler from the great room.

Sighing, Rey closes her eyes for a moment. She can’t well ignore the senator out there, hiding in the kitchen forever.

“Go on, dear girl,” Maz prods with a gentle smile.

Nodding, Rey leaves her mug on the counter and heads back out into the great room.

“Rey, I need you and Ben to do me a  _ huge _ favor,” Leia says. “We’re desperate to refill our wine supply for the meal later and Ben will need help carrying a couple cases up from the cellar.” Leia nods toward an open door, the one Ben indicated upon their arrival led to the basement. A single bulb shines from a pull cord over the stairway. “Would you be a dear and head down?” she asks. “He’s insisting he can do it himself, but he could really, uh, use a  _ hand _ .”

A strange strangling sound escapes from Han, but when Rey looks over at him in his recliner, he’s relaxed as can be with a newspaper open in front of his face. Shrugging, Rey agrees. It’s not like she can’t pop her coffee into the microwave to warm it back up in a few minutes. Besides, she could use a few minutes away from Han and Leia. As sweet as they are, she can’t help but feel like she’s been in a fishbowl for the last hour. Something to do, a way to be helpful — yes, that’s exactly what Rey needs.

“Sure thing. Be right back,” she affirms with a nod, and heads toward the basement.

She’s halfway down the musty staircase when she hears a soft click behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, Rey sees the door to the great room has slipped shut, probably because Han and Leia don’t want the cellar’s cool air creeping into the living area and making a draft.

“Ben?” she calls down into the dimly lit basement, but doesn’t get a reply.

Once she reaches the ground, she sees neatly stacked tubs and storage shelves, luggage and a few larger pieces of furniture covered by old sheets to the left. To the right, she sees another open doorway off the main part of the room, which has been converted to a stark but not unpleasant guest space. An old convertible couch is opened into a double-bed, the sheets and blankets mussed. An dated lamp sits on a heavy behemoth of a wooden table; it’s carved and ornate like something straight from the height of 1970s interior design. There’s a small space heater on the floor next to the bed, and an old chest of drawers on which Ben’s small weekend suitcase sits open, his clean clothes neatly stacked inside.

“Ben?” Rey tries again. This time, she hears him call a reply from the smaller room and the open doorway on the far wall that caught her eye.

“In here!” And then Ben’s ducking his head under the too-short doorframe, looking at her quizzically with a dusty bottle of wine in one hand, his other arm outstretched, palm pressed against the doorway making his biceps bulge beneath his gray, snug-fitting thermal shirt. The shirt Rey most certainly did not notice skimming his muscular build while they opened gifts. No, sir.

“Rey? What’re you doing down here?”

She licks her lips. It’s practically involuntary at this point, the way her mouth has started to pool saliva if she stares at him too long.

There’s nowhere to look that’s safe anymore: his dark eyes remind her of the way he looked at her before that first searing kiss beneath the mistletoe; his lips bring back only the most arousing memories of Ben’s mouth on hers last night, his lips skimming and sucking along her neck and collarbone, marking her; his arms and chest, their breadth and strength somehow so well-hidden in his work attire now completely and utterly unavoidable in his casual clothes.

She swallows down her desire and answers. “Your mom sent me down to help restock wine for later.”

Ben gives her a lazy half smile. “I told her I could get it myself, but… I’m happy for the company.” She watches his Adam’s apple bob as he swallows, too, his eyes flicking to hers and then away. “I’m also happy to have a moment alone with you.”

“You are?” Rey asks. She doesn’t know why her voice sounds like a phone sex operators. She doesn’t know why her skin is prickling beneath her clothes, her body coming alive in strange vibrations at his words, at his proximity.

“Yes,” Ben replies. His jaw clenches as his eyes rove over her face. “About last night,” he begins, then coughs to clear his throat, and Rey watches his pale cheeks flush with color. This is it. She can tell by the tension in his shoulders and the look in his eyes; what he is going to say. Tell her how last night shouldn’t have happened. They were coworkers, he  _ was _ practically her boss. What they did last night couldn’t happen again.  “That was--”

“--a mistake,” Rey blurts, finishing his sentence before he can say it himself. Self preservation and all that.

She knows they should have never gotten physical -- the guilt’s already been eating her alive since she awoke. If she can stay in front of it now, if she can ensure Ben knows she has no expectations such a thing will never happen again, she can stay strong. But mostly, she can avoid being hurt. She can avoid ruining yet another Christmas.

“Oh?” Ben asks, blinking like an owl at her for a moment. “Oh,” he repeats, this time sounding resigned. He straightens up. “It… it won’t happen again, Rey.”

“Yes,” she says, nodding, although every fiber in her being is screaming for to let it happen  _ maybe just one more time _ . “That’s probably for the best.” She offers Ben a gentle, easy smile. It’s mostly a sincere reflection of her feelings. Well, except for the part beneath her rib cage that feels like it’s been cleaved in two.

“Alright, then,” Ben agrees, a tight-lipped smile that most certainly does not make his eyes crinkle in joy like they did earlier in the morning, returns hers.

Rey instantly feels like she’s in a stage play, going through the motions that belonging to someone else entirely. “Shall we collect the wine, then?”

With a firm nod, Ben agrees. “Absolutely. Here, let’s use these crates to load up a good assortment,” he mutters, bending down and pulling two old plastic crates off from the bottom shelf lining the wine cellar wall. “Amilyn loves whites, but Mom goes for reds, as you saw last night, so we’ll need to get both. Oh,” Ben stops and comes to a stand, brow creased in thought.

“What is it?”

“My dad prefers his whiskey. I bet he could use a new bottle, too.” Ben nibbles on his plush bottom lip as he scans the far wall lined with bottles of liquor. Rey’s own lip tucks under her teeth and she’s suddenly feeling bereft and like  _ she’s _ just made the biggest mistake of her life, telling him the night before had been a mistake.

It wasn’t, was it? Is she's making a mistake, right now, overthinking everything as per usual? Will the pitter-pattering of her heartbeat and the dry feeling in her throat go away? Will the desire to get her lips on his _ever_ fade?

“Here we go,” Ben announces, mostly to himself, as he slides a bottle of Glendronach 18 off the shelf. His words jerk Rey out of her very confused head and back into the moment as she watches him use his one large paw of a hand to swipe the dust from the bottle’s iconic blue and gold label. “This is the good stuff.”

Rey furrows her brow and takes the bottle from his hand, careful not to touch his skin with hers for fear she’ll send herself right back down Overthinking Avenue.

“Is it?” she replies, trying to sound light-hearted despite the heaviness behind her ribcage. “I’ve never tried it. Looks fancy.”

“No?” Ben asks, a brow quirked in her direction. “Yeah, it’s a little too pricey for  _ me _ to ever buy, but the few times I’ve shared it with my dad…” he trails off, smiling, “Well, let’s just say, it’s been memorable.”

Rey feels herself grin at his playful expression, knowing there’s got to be a good story Ben’s not sharing. “Okay,” she says, setting the bottle in one of the crates. “Let’s get these babies loaded up. It’s freezing down here.”

“Yeah,” Ben huffs out a laugh, choosing a couple bottles of red wine off the rack. “Try sleeping down here.”

Rey grimaces.  _ It’s cold down there. And lonely. _ She remembers the sleepy, post-orgasmic words she’d mumbled last night as she’d snuggled tight against Ben’s warm form. “Sorry?” she offers, wrinkling her nose.

“S’okay,” Ben says with a shrug. “The space heater  _ does _ help. And, uh, I… I wasn’t down here for very long last night,” he says, staring at the racks of white wines, seemingly avoiding Rey’s gaze at the mention of where he actually did spend several hours of the night before, the tips of his ears burning bright red a horrid betrayal.

As if she needs a reminder.

If anything, Rey needs brain bleach to forget the memory of what his profile looked like in the dark… of what those large hands felt like as they cupped her hip, pressed against the flat of her back… of those sinful, soft lips as they set her body to flame.

_ Oh no, here I go again... _

They load the two crates in an awkward silence, Rey’s heart pounding in her chest. Ben hefts one, and Rey reaches down to lift the other. “You got that?” Ben murmurs, looking down over his shoulder at Rey. She’s much smaller than him, but she’s no tiny wisp of a girl.

“Mmmhmm,” she says with a nod, pushing up from a squat with her thighs, cradling the crate under her strong arms. “These legs served me as captain of my college soccer team… I got this.”

Ben huffs another laugh as he starts to lead the way out of the cellar and back into the basement at large on their way to the stairs. “Now  _ that’s  _ an image I won’t be getting out of my head anytime soon,” he mumbles.

Smiling, Rey feels warmth bloom in her chest at Ben’s obvious interest. “Still play on a women’s league in the summer,” she adds, glancing over to gauge his reaction.

Ben raises a brow, his dark eyes suddenly darker in the dim light beneath the staircase, its single bulb casting shadows about his face, heightening what Rey can only label as a smolder. “Do you, now?”

Butterflies take flight in her abdomen. Rey hefts the crate closer to her chest as they ascend the stairs and then the butterflies quickly cease their flapping and all but disappear as Ben sets his crate on his knee, precariously balanced between the wall and the door, as he pushes and twists the basement doorknob with the other hand and mutters a very unexpected but sexy as hell, “Fuck.”

He turns around, leaning his back against the door that leads into the great room, and looks down at Rey a couple stairs below him. “We’re locked in.”

“What?” she gasps, shifting the weight of the ever-heavier crate in her arms.

“Head back down,” Ben says, using his chin to motion behind her.

Rey about-faces and makes her way down the steps, then sets the crate on the concrete floor. “What do you mean we’re locked in?” she asks, a little breathless from carrying the heavy load up and down the steps.

“It’s the door,” Ben starts, setting down his own crate with a huff, “the damn knob gets loose and it kind of stops turning and my moth --” he stops part way through his sentence. “God dammit,” he mutters, shaking his head. “Could she  _ be _ more obvious?”

Rey folds her arms across her chest. “I’m sorry, mind sharing what the hell is going on?”

Ben mimics her pose, folding his trunk-like arms across his equally large chest, sucking in a breath as if to steady himself. “I think… I think my mother shut us down here. On purpose.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!! xo


	5. O, Come All Ye Faithful

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We last saw our pining babies discover they'd been "accidentally" locked in the cold basement. Whatever will they do to keep warm? 
> 
> *your authors blink innocently*
> 
> Please enjoy the finale of this little tale! xo

 

“Why on _earth_ would she do that?” Rey scoffs, staring at the unbudging door at the top of the staircase.

Ben motions the space between the two of them, rolling his eyes. “You know…” he hints. “She’s a meddler.”

“That’s ridiculous.” But even as the words leave her mouth, Rey realizes they may not be true as Leia's comment comes back to her:  _He’s insisting he can do it himself, but he could really, uh, use a_ _hand._

“Oh, shit,” Rey breathes. Senator Organa staged the opposite of a fucking filibuster in her own damn house.

“Yeah,” Ben agrees with a nod. “As if the mistletoe wasn’t already enough,” he says, almost to himself.

Rey blinks up at him. “She put up the mistletoe? For you? Uh... for  _ us _ ?”

With a shrug, Ben replies, “Well, that one could’ve been my dad. Same difference.”

“So,” Rey starts, then releases a long huff. “What do we do down here? How do we get out?”

“Eh, I’ll bang on the door… they’ll come ‘rescue’ us eventually.”

“Eventually?” Rey inquires, just as a rush of unexpected sense of excitement coursing through her at the thought that she and Ben might be stuck down here… alone… with a bed right around the corner… ready to finish what they’d started the night before…

_ Shut it, you traitor!  _ Rey chastises herself, cursing her body’s desire even as her brain knows getting involved with Ben -- her fucking  _ boss _ , Ben Solo -- is a bad, bad idea. Bound to be a disaster. Career-threatening and a complete cluster of a mess.

“We could, uh,” he pauses, swallows, looks up at her from beneath his dark lashes, cheeks pink despite the cold air, “break open my dad’s whiskey for a taste? It’ll warm us up, if nothing else.”

Rey can think of a few other things that would keep her warm.

But she nods in agreement. “Whiskey sounds good.” It’s gotta be noon somewhere, right? “Can you open it?”

Ben’s already got the bottle in his hands, peeling the foil off the top cap. “Absolutely,” he assures her, tossing the wrapper to the floor and twisting the cap. “We, uh, probably have to nip it right from the bottle,” he announces sheepishly. “No cups.”

Rey feels a grin tug at her lips. “Behaving like heathens serves your parents right for locking us down here.”

“Heathens?” Ben asks, cocking a brow at her as he extends the bottle her way, offering it to her first.

Taking the bottle from him, Rey gives a little shrug before bringing it to her lips and taking a sip. It’s smooth and slides down her throat with ease. The warmth immediately floods her belly and her neck, the woodsy flavors and sweet sherry making her feel like she’s sitting in front of a roaring fire -- tobacco, leather and smoke all mixing together in one glorious, earthy note on her palate.

“Jesus,” Rey breathes, her pulse accelerating as her skin prickles with sensation at the same time. She holds the bottle out to Ben.

“I know, right?” He takes the bottle from her, then brings it to his lips. Rey watches his neck as he swallows, his lip twitching in a wicked grin even before he’s completely finished his swig.

“That’s… phew,” Rey breathes, shaking her head at the naughty thoughts running through her mind, but hoping Ben will assume it’s just her commentary on the Scotch whiskey’s smooth and powerful flavor.

Ben licks his lips and offers her the bottle again. “One more?”

Rey’s desperate to take another sip, but she knows she shouldn’t. She can already feel the loosening of her shoulders, the warmth at the back of her neck muscles and the fire deep in her belly. The fire she’s pretty sure is not coming from the liquor, but from gazing into the deep, rich chocolate of Ben’s eyes. “I shouldn’t.”

Again, he cocks a questioning brow at her. “C’mon, Rey. You know you want it. Why deny yourself?”

She knows he’s not just talking about the whiskey.

His lips flick to hers and back up to her eyes. Her heart skips a beat in her chest, and the butterflies are back in full force, deep in her womb, sending a rush of desire between her legs. 

Wordlessly, she reaches for the bottle and brings it back to her mouth, never taking her eyes from his. She swallows the burning liquid down once more, her nipples tightening under Ben’s unwavering scrutiny.

“Good girl.”

His words are murmured, almost too quiet to be meant for her ears, but Rey hears them all the same.

And every single cell in her body responds to them, a siren’s call that takes her already aroused body to an absolutely alarming state of pure lust.

Without another word, Ben takes the bottle back from her and downs another sip before quickly capping it and setting it on the bottom step. His eyes continue to trail between her lips, her chest, her eyes. Rey wonders if he can see her pulse pounding along her jawline, if he can hear her heart pounding like a kick-drum, the way she can hear it in her own head.

She watches her hand as it lifts and comes to rest on the top of the three little buttons at the neckline of his thermal henley. She watches her fingers curl, grasping the material and urging Ben closer, eliminating the little distance between them. Her eyes lift upward and land on those gorgeous, full lips and Rey knows, even as her lids sink closed in the moment before they press against Ben’s, that this will be a very,  _ very _ enjoyable mistake.

The minute her mouth is on his, Ben’s tongue is swiping at the seam of her lips, sliding in to taste her. It’s natural, as if they’ve been doing this forever, not just a few trial runs in the dark the night before. Their rhythm is perfectly smooth as their mouths explore each other, tasting the sweet smoke, the masculine leather, and the heat of the whiskey on each other’s tongues.

Rey’s insides turn to liquid when she feels Ben’s hand touch her back, right between her shoulder blades, pressing her against his massive chest. Her fingers release the death grip she has on the collar of his shirt and slide around to cup the back of his neck, her hand absentmindedly carding through his silky black hair, as if she had every right in the world to touch him -- to possess him in such a familiar way.

And as his lips leave her mouth to trail along her jawline, down toward her ear, the whiskey on his breath damp and warm as he nips at her earlobe, the thought flashes through Rey’s otherwise addled mind that perhaps, yes, she _does_ possess him just as much as he is possessing her.

With a start, Ben pulls away. She watches him squeeze his eyes shut as if he’s in pain realizing what’s just transpired between the two of them. “Rey,” he breathes, opening his eyes. He shakes his head, a deep crease between his brows.

_ This is it, _ Rey thinks.  _ This is when he tells me we’ve crossed the line. Again. This is the moment I’ll look back on and know I ruined it all - ruined any chance I had of feeling like I had a family to care for me. _

Tears dampen her lashes almost immediately. “It’s okay,” she says, dropping her hand from the back of Ben’s neck and taking a step backward, putting some much needed space between the two of them.

Ben watches her quizzically, his eyes roaming her face, his jaw clenching and relaxing as he takes inventory of her. She drops her eyes to the concrete floor, weak under his scrutiny and certain disappointment in her lack of judgment.

“Rey,” he repeats, this time using his finger to gently lift her chin, forcing her eyes back on his. He leans down, getting close to her eye level. “It’s more than okay.  _ You’re _ more than okay.”

Her body reacts without fully comprehending what he’s saying. Rey’s pulse spikes and her vision goes dark and for a moment, she thinks she might pass out. She sucks in a breath and reaches for the stair banister for support, but Ben encircles her bicep with one giant hand, holding her steady. She wrinkles her nose. “What… what are you saying?”

“I’m saying…” he huffs a sigh and flicks his eyes up to the ceiling as he murmurs, “Heaven help me.” His eyes are back on her, his gaze full of determination. “I’m saying last night wasn't a mistake. You coming here with me? It was _not_ a mistake.” Ben shakes his head, a wistful smile tugging at his lips. “Me catching you in your office when you thought you were all alone at school the other day?” He swallows, his voice turning to the whispered breath of confession. “Also not a mistake.”

She isn’t sure if it’s the whiskey or the situation but her mind can not fully grasp his meaning. “What?”

“I… I came looking for you that day. I was going to ask you if you wanted to have coffee, or maybe have dinner with me over the break. I'd been working my courage up for weeks.” Ben takes a deep breath and cards his fingers through his hair, tugging a little on the ends. “And there you were, all happy and singing, telling me how much you loved Christmas. And all I could think about was how  _ perfect  _ it would be to have you here. Home with me. So I panicked and invited you to come with me. I just wanted — I _needed_ to see you over the break.”

Just then, the sound of the door handle jiggles, followed by the suction sound of the basement door releasing from its frame. The noise sends Rey jerking a step away from Ben as his finger beneath her chin hastily drops to his waist. They both glance over their shoulders to see Han at the top of the stairs, staring down at them with a lopsided grin.

“C’mon, Ben,” he tsks, his tone a teasing reprimand, “you know we don’t lock doors in this house.”

Ben blinks up at his father in disbelief, the tops of his ears flushing red. His mouth works for a moment without producing sound before he finally shouts in his defense, “Well,  _ I  _ didn’t do it!”

“Sure, you didn’t kid,” Han says with a chuckle before narrowing his eyes on the contents of the crates sitting on the floor at Rey and Ben’s feet. His lopsided grin evolves into a full, elated smile. “Hey, you found some of my whiskey!” Then Han’s brows furrow and Rey swears it looks like the man is suddenly pouting. “Wait a minute -- did you have some of the good stuff without me?”

“It’s kinda freezing down here,” Rey offers with a shrug, begging forgiveness. Immediately, Han’s frown slides off his face and his lips tug back into his signature, roguish grin.

“Eh, I forgive ya,” he says before waving his hands, beckoning them toward the doorway. “Well come on up, you two -- and bring the goods with ya, for God’s sake. Lord knows the Solos won’t get through Christmas without booze,” he mutters as he turns and heads back into the great room, leaving Rey and Ben shell-shocked and relieved all at once.

They pick up the crates and haul them upstairs, dropping them off at the bar where Leia is restocking clean glasses she’d unloaded from the dishwasher.

“Oh,  _ there _ you two are!” she exclaims, her expression as innocent as apple pie. “I was starting to think we needed to put together a rescue party.”

“Nope, no rescue party needed, Mother,” Ben replies, his tone clipped and his expression less than amused. “Just the basement door mysteriously getting ‘stuck’ again.”

A single brow arches above Leia’s eagle-eyed expression. “You don’t say?”

Ben purses his lips. “Actually, I  _ do _ say.” He sighs heavily and points to the crates on the floor. “I think you’ll find more than we should need for tonight’s party.” Turning to Rey, Ben’s face softens as he says, “Excuse me, Rey, I think I’m gonna…” he trails off, pointing upward as he indicates the second floor of the house, “...go rest for a little bit.”

Rey takes note of the fact that Ben heads upstairs, not back to the basement. He looks wrung-out, like the revelation he just shared with her has left him drained and wary. She knows that feeling all too well, and her stomach sinks as she watches him trudge up the stairs to his bedroom. She doesn’t know if she’s meant to join him up there so they might finish the conversation they were having before Han unintentionally rescued them, or if Ben truly wants a few moments to himself. She doesn't know what to think about Ben's admission. She doesn't know anything other than how awful the pit in her belly feels at the thought that this... this lovely, miraculous holiday experience could be coming to an end so soon.

He’s already three steps up the staircase before Rey timidly murmurs a quiet, “Okay,” but the single word comes out more like a question than a statement. Leia’s warm palm comes to rest on top of her hand to get her attention, and soon her gaze is locked on Leia’s kind, maple-syrup eyes.

_ It’s funny _ , Rey thinks,  _ how the woman can manage to hold a neutral expression except for those knowing, smiling eyes. _

“What’s going on in that head of yours, hmmm, sweet girl?”

Rey exhales sharply through her nose, her reaction a weak laugh. She bites her lip before flicking her gaze to Leia then back down to their overlapping hands, Leia’s warmth flooding her with a feeling of peace and belonging she’s pretty sure she’s never felt before. “Honestly? I don’t even know,” she admits.

Leia lowers her gaze, seeking eye contact with her. “You know, Rey, whatever happens or doesn’t happen between you and Ben… you’ll  _ always _ be welcome in our home. For the holidays, or any day.”

The words sound familiar, and Rey feels her cheeks flush as she realizes in the time she was stuck in the basement, it’s obvious Maz and Leia have been chatting. “She told you, huh?” Rey asks, her voice a timid whisper.

Nodding, Leia replies, “She did, yes. But she didn’t need to. Your wanting to belong is written all over your face, honey.”

Rey inhales her surprise, shame washing over her.

“No, no --” Leia shakes her head, trying to stamp out whatever reaction Rey is having to her words. “It’s a _good_ thing — a natural thing, even,” she explains. “In fact, it reminds me an awful lot of Han, when we were young.”

Swallowing, Rey lifts her brows in surprise. “Really?” It’s hard to imagine confident, cocky Han Solo needing anyone or anything.

Leia nods. “Hell, yes. That man was so desperate for someone to see past his tough-guy exterior, I seriously wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t jumped into the back of his car that day on campus,” she says, the fond memories in her mind making the woman smile softly.

“And… you see something similar? In me?” Rey gently prods.

The older woman nudges Rey’s hand over beneath her own, turning her hand palm up. Leia slides her fingers between Rey’s, holding her hand and giving it a tender squeeze. It feels like home and family, comfort and woodsmoke, whiskey and spice. “I do. But what I see isn’t nearly as important as what my son sees in you.”

A tear spills down Rey’s right cheek. She didn’t even know she was crying. “W-what does he see in me?”

“I think you should ask him yourself, honey, but I know for a fact it’s only good things. Amazing things, even,” she says with a knowing smile as she releases Rey’s hand and pats her on the shoulder gently. “Why don’t you go on upstairs and have a rest, too? We won’t be eating dinner until after sundown,” she suggests with a wink.

Nodding, Rey agrees with a shrug and a sniffle. “Are you sure you don’t need any help here?”

Leia’s eyes twinkle with mischief as her lips tug into a grin. “What do you think I keep Han around for? Now, go.”

Upstairs, she gently knocks on Ben’s bedroom door, but doesn’t hear anything. She pushes the door open quietly and finds Ben fast asleep on top of his navy blue comforter. Closing the door behind her and stepping closer to the bed, Rey looms over him, just staring. He’s so soft in his sleep, those plush pink lips of his the tiniest bit open, his brows un-creased, his jaw slack. He looks peaceful and relaxed, nothing like the anguished, nervous expression he’d worn as he’d started to confess his feelings in the basement.  

_ And what of  _ my  _ feelings? _

She’s not absolutely certain of much, but Rey knows she’s felt more at home in the last thirty-six hours with Ben than she has in years. She knows she’s never had a Christmas like this one -- not even those few good ones that rose to the top of her memories. Nothing could hold a candle to the warm welcome she’s felt being with Ben and his family.

And Ben… well, whatever crush she’d harbored from afar since the beginning of the school year was nothing compared to the feelings she has now, after having touched him, kissed him, felt those amazingly gentle giant hands all over her body. After having heard that he, too, had thought about her.

She shivers in the room, murky and gray with the overcast light of the afternoon filtering in through the windows, leaving them both in shadow. Ben stirs and she looks down to see him blinking up at her.

“Oh, you’re awake,” Rey whispers, surprised and awkward to have been caught lurking while he slept. “I swear I’m not a creeper,” she adds with a chuckle, but it’s forced and Ben can certainly tell.

He scoots over and pats the bed beside him. Gingerly, she sits, keeping her eyes trained on his. “You can creep on me any day, Rey,” Ben says, his voice thick with sleep.

Rey’s surprised by how much she likes the sound of that deep rumble, the way it feels private and special for her and her alone makes her body react, too, her nipples tightening with sudden desire.

“Besides,” Ben continues, “I’m the one who’s the creeper, considering I purposely sought you out that day at work…” he sighs heavily. “I’m sorry about that; I should have been more forthright with my interest in you before cajoling you in to just coming away with me. I feel like,” he pauses, swallowing thickly as he stares up at his bedroom ceiling, his fingers nervously toying with the edge of the throw blanket across his torso, “like maybe I trapped you into coming here, being here with me.”

Rey shakes her head, a sad smile forming, “Ben, don’t be silly. In all honesty, I normally hate Christmas.”

Ben opens his mouth to question what her, clearly not believing it based on fibs Rey’s told, but she raises her hand to silence him.

“I do. I… always have,” she admits, sighing. “It’s not a lot of fun when you don’t have a family. I grew up in the foster care. I never had a Merry Christmas in the system. But after all of this… well, I wish I  _ could _ be trapped here. Your family--” she stops and waits for him to lower his gaze back to hers “-- _ you _ are amazing. Going out of your way to include me, and to make sure I’m having a good time. I’m not used to people caring about me, or taking care  _ of _ me.”

His jaw works silently, his eyes flitting between hers and her lips. “I rather like the idea of taking care of you,” he states, his voice a soft rumble deep in his chest, his words secretive, as if they’re meant for her ears alone. “I would take care of you more. If you’d let me.”

Rey sucks in a breath, and suddenly she’s back in the kitchen, listening to the women in Ben’s family tease and cajole each other with such ease and comfort… she’s in front of the fireplace, opening kind and thoughtful gifts from people who instantly embraced her… she’s being held in Maz’s tiny embrace, being reassured that she’s wanted and loved… she’s staring at Leia’s sincere eyes as she’s reminded that everyone deserves love and affection… she’s here, in this bed, with Ben, his mouth on hers, his hands on her body, his heartbeat against hers.

And Rey knows in her soul that it’s time. It’s time to let go of the past, to give up seeking belonging from a ship that long ago sailed, and time to start looking for where she belongs in the here and now.

She releases a slow breath as her hand slides over the bed to rest on top of Ben’s shirt, right in the center of his belly. She feels his abs flex and hears his breath stutter at her touch before she looks into his deep, questioning gaze.

“I think I’d like you to take care of me, Ben.” She swallows again, bites her lip. “And, I’d like to take care of you, too.”

Ben’s lips twitch before his hands are sliding through her hair, one stopping to cup her cheek as the other palms the back of her head to bring her mouth down to his in a searing, smoldering, toe-curling kiss. Rey’s grip tightens and fists his shirt, while Ben’s hands grip her hips, lifting her so she straddles him.

The obvious -- and quite large bulge, thank you very much -- at Ben’s groin hits the seam of her jeans just so and Rey shivers above him, rocking her hips as their tongues dance around each other’s open mouths, breathing each other’s breath.

“Jesus, you feel so fuckin’ good,” Ben murmurs, his large hand cupping that back of Rey’s head and holding her close as he bucks his hips up against her with intent.

“Have you ever made out with a girl in here before, Ben?” Rey whispers along the shell of his ear, purposefully breathing the words so they land hot, damp and heavy along his lobe and neck. She sees the fine hairs along his wrist stand up in reaction.

“Fuck, no,” Ben exhales, bucking his hips again. “Only you.”

Now it’s Rey’s turn to erupt in gooseflesh. “Mmm,” she hums, “I like the sound of that.” She brushes her lips along the column of his neck, curling the tip of her tongue out to taste his skin. “This needs to come off,” she announces, tugging at the hem of his henley.

The man looked like sin it in all damn day, but Rey needed her hands on his body, and her mouth needed to follow that now exposed trail of dark hair to the waistband of his jeans, her fingers itched to unbutton his fly and lower his zipper, the need to get him --  _ all of him _ \-- in her possession fierce and consuming.

With her fingers gripping his shaft through the cotton of his briefs, Rey uses her free hand to shove the offending item down Ben’s hips, freeing him. His cock is long and thick, and it twitches at her eagerly as Ben hisses through his teeth.

“Holy hell,” he groans, tipping his chin onto his chest as he catches Rey’s eyes with his.

Rey pauses a moment, her fingertips sliding along his velvety hardness in an almost tender caress, her gaze locked with his. Ben’s obsidian eyes are the surface of a dark sea she’s never seen, but one she’d happily drown in all the same. His chest heaves with his breath; she can feel his ribcage tremble with a desperate need.

“Please,” he says, the single word a choked whisper full of humility and desire, agony and bliss.

As if she could ever deny him a thing he asked, looking at her with those entreating eyes, that word tumbling from his those pink, plush lips, like a prayer.

Without hesitation, Rey’s tongue snakes out to lick at his tip, tasting the drop of salty wet pooled there. His abdomen jumps at the contact and Rey lays the palm of her other hand beneath his navel and suddenly Ben’s hot hand covers hers, pressing down against himself as she feels his tense muscles relax as he exhales slowly.

“I got you,” she says quietly before licking a long stripe up the side of his shaft, her other hand holding him at his base. At her words, Ben’s head falls back onto the bed, completely abandoning himself to the sensation of her mouth on him.

Rey takes him almost fully into her mouth. Not quite able to fit all of him, she works the base of his cock with her hand. Hollowing her cheeks and bobbing her head, she has to force away her grin as Ben swears loudly. She can feel the twitching of the muscles in his hip as he fights not to buck into her throat.

Ben fists the sheets as she presses the flat of her tongue against him, humming softly. Ben’s breathing is ragged as he stutters her name, pleading with her. It’s as if he’s begging for both more and less at the same time.

“Rey… your mouth…” Ben groans as she looks up at him from beneath her lashes, her tongue swirling around his tip, tasting the salty drop leaking from him.

“Mmmm?” she murmurs, taking as much of him in as she can, hoping that he’s enjoying this as much as she is. He tastes… amazing. Here, his skin is hot and soft like velvet, his natural scent clean but manly, and with every breath Rey takes against his pelvis she shudders with both desire and something else that feels like relief — it’s a relief to finally quench her overwhelming want, to finally be touching him this way, to look up and see his pupils blown wide, his jaw slack as he watches her beneath heavy laden lids.

“You have to stop Rey,” he stutters, voice deep and thick, rough like a bramble, “or I’m not going to last. And I really,  _ really _ want to be inside you.”

Rey groans as she releases him with a wet slurp that would be embarrassing if she wasn’t so far gone for the man. “Ben. We don’t have condoms...” she laments, the thrill of making out and acting like teenagers suddenly nowhere near as appealing as being able to fuck like grown-ass, responsible adults. She bites her lip and adds, “I mean, I’m on the pill, but it’s not one hundred percent effective, and I don’t think it’s a good idea to risk it...”

She’s seen the way he is with the kids at school and it’s hot as hell, but she’s in no way ready for a baby.

“I have condoms,” Ben announces, the words tumbling out of his mouth in a hurry, as if this whole moment between them hung in the balance… as if she’d disappear into nothingness and walk away from him if they had to find another way to their release… as if Rey could ever walk away from him. Not with the way he’s looking at her right now, his cheeks blooming a bright red.

_ God, this man _ .

“Lando,” Ben supplies quickly as he leans over the bed to fish a few foil packets out of his jeans pockets. “He’s so embarrassing,” he mumbles, his cheeks flushing infinitely more pink as he explains, “he shoved them at me in the hallway after breakfast. Made a big point of waggling his brows and and announcing they were an extra ‘stocking stuffer,’ which is quite possibly the worst thing that man has ever said to me.”

Rey exhales a laugh through her nose as her lips pull into a brilliant smile. “Good ol’ Lando,” she breathes as she reaches to brush her fingertip along Ben’s cheek, feeling the stubble along his jaw. “Remind me to thank him later.”

Ben lifts a curious brow at Rey, his own mouth tugging into a sly half grin. “Yeah?”

Nodding, Rey bites her lip lower. “Yeah,” she replies. “And let’s get you out of these,” she huffs to herself as she snaps the waistband of his boxer briefs. “ _ Finally _ .”

Ben obliges her as he slides the offending item down and off his legs, his eyes never leaving hers. He takes a moment and looks Rey up and down before he grins, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

“I’d say it was you who was entirely overdressed in this situation,” he drawls, his hands sneaking beneath the hem of her sweater to graze the soft skin of her abdomen, “but I think I’ll just enjoy unwrapping this one last Christmas gift.”

Grinning, Rey runs her nose along Ben’s cheek, nuzzling in close at the feel of his massive hands curling around her hip bones, spanning her abdomen and making her feel like a precious thing. “You  _ do  _ love Christmas,” she breathes.

“Mmm,” Ben hums, sliding down the length of her torso to mouth at the skin of her belly. “I just can’t help getting  _ so _ in to the Christmas spirit,” he murmurs. Rey grins, recognizing the the sorry excuse she’d blabbed at him after she’d been caught singing only a few days earlier.

In a matter of seconds, her sweater is up and over her head, tossed to the bedroom floor along with Ben’s long-discarded clothes. His hands are working Rey’s jeans as she reaches behind her back to unclasp her bra, unceremoniously tossing it to join her sweater. Ben shimmies her jeans down her legs and looks up at her from her ankles.

“Hey, I wanted to do that,” he says, and Rey’s pretty sure he’s got the cutest damn pout she’s ever seen.

“You can do these,” she replies, running her pointer finger beneath the waist of her pink bikini panties.

Ben’s eyes are smiling as he works his jaw, and Rey gets the sense that he’s not even sure what to say. Is he nervous?

_ Oh, God, he has done this before, right? _

“Of course I have," he scoffs, and Rey realizes she’s spoken her thoughts aloud. He lifts a brow at her before his face turns serious once again. “But not in a while,” he says, his gaze softening as he swallows thickly, “and never with you.”

Rey’s heart pounds in her throat, her eyes getting glassy as she stares at this man -- this glorious, sweet, insanely attractive man -- as he presses his lips to the inside of her bare ankle before slipping the tip of his tongue out as he moves up to her calf. She hears him groan, and his obvious enjoyment as he continues to work his mouth up the length of her left leg has her quaking with desire. When Ben’s stubbly chin finally scrapes along the tender skin of her inner thigh, she’s almost embarrassed by how wet she is.

His fingers slide beneath the material on either side of her hip and Ben makes quick work of getting her panties down her legs. Rey kicks them off with a flick of her foot, her eyes following Ben as he settles himself at her apex, his hot palms grasping her thighs and opening her to him.

Before she can again even think about being embarrassed by her surely dripping center, Ben’s flat tongue is licking from the bottom to the top of her core, and Rey has ascended to another plane of existence.

“Oh my God!” she gasps, her hips jerking upward as Ben lays gentle pressure on her thighs and coaxes her back to the mattress with an appreciative hum.

His mouth is on her again, tongue dancing and teasing around the swollen bundle of nerves at the top of her slit before sliding down along the opening, tasting her, drinking her up, consuming her even while she burns, burns, burns for more.

Before long, two thick fingers replace his mouth and his tongue goes to work in earnest on her clit, circling her and flicking along with the rhythm of Rey’s bucking hips. “Oh, God,” she whines, chest heaving, flinging an arm over her eyes as the pleasure begins to crest. “I’m so close.”

“I know, baby.”

Ben’s words are a deep, vibrating rumble against her sensitive nerves, and the minute he speaks them, followed by a flick of his tongue and a curl of his fingertips inside her, Rey’s done for. She’s a match ignited, a blaze exploding in friction and heat, rippling in waves of flame until she melts, weak beneath his touch.

Dazed and trembling, Rey reaches for Ben, grasping him along the solid mass of his torso and pulling him up to her mouth. She kisses him, tasting herself, winding her arms around his neck, her fingers slipping into his thick black locks.

“Was... it good?” Ben mumbles between wet kisses.

_ Good? Good doesn’t even begin to describe it. _

Rey smiles in response before the words come to her. “I really,  _ really, _ liked your enthusiasm,” she announces.

Ben lifts his head to grin knowingly at her, recognizing his own words. “I’d kind of like to give you some  _ hard candy _ now, if you’d be amenable.”

Rey can’t help but giggle at the hopeful look on his face. “C’mon, Ben Solo,” she says, lifting her head to kiss his lips as he hovers over her. “Let’s christen your teenage bed once and for all.”

Ben’s eyes widen and light up like, well, like a kid at Christmas. He scrambles off of her to grab the condom and gets himself prepared before diving back on top of her, catching himself on his forearms so as not to crush her with his weight.

Frankly, Rey wouldn’t mind if he crushed her. It would be one hell of a way to go.

She’s immediately pulled from her random thoughts as she feels his tip brush her entrance. And then, without preamble, Ben thrusts and slides home in one go, sheathing himself in her heat and making Rey’s toes curl at the luscious stretch.

“Oh my God,” Ben huffs against Rey’s neck, stilling completely. Before Rey can ask if he’s alright, Ben rolls his hips and grinds into her, hitting every possible spot inside her and making her see stars. “Oh… my God,” he repeats, his voice trembling, “you feel amazing.”

Rey blushes. This man had his mouth on her sex and is currently buried balls-deep inside her, and with those three tiny words, she’s blushing like a schoolgirl. Not to mention the feel of him as moves inside her, exploring her inner walls as his pelvis brushes against her already sensitive clit, is enough to have her on the verge of orgasm before they’ve even gotten going.

“Ohhh,” Rey moans, dragging out the syllable. “I think…,” she pauses to take a deep, steadying breath as the waves start to gently crash over her, “I think I’m… _oh God_ , yes. I’m coming…” Ben slows and just grinds his hips, sitting himself exquisitely deep as she flutters and clenches around him, letting her ride the waves of pleasure. When she finally settles, Rey sucks in a deep breath and nearly growls a breathless, “Holy shit, Ben.”

He stills completely, holding himself up on his forearms along either side of her ribcage. His long dark hair hangs down in shaggy waves along his cheekbones, and one side of Ben’s lips curls into a smug smile even as his eyes go wide in disbelief.

“Did you come just from…” he pauses, works his jaw, the color flooding his neck and cheeks obvious as he hovers right above her, “...just me… going in?”

It’s Rey’s turn to blush again, but she can’t be embarrassed, not when she feels so full, stretched so luxuriously around the length and girth of him, so enveloped by his entire, huge body as he looms over her -- inside her -- consuming her and keeping that fire deep in her abdomen alight. She feels like she could orgasm again any second, just from the pressure inside and the sheer nearness of him as he speaks lowly, caging her in.

“Yes,” she admits with a yelping breath, “and I think I’m never, ever gonna stop.”

Ben’s grin turns absolutely boyish. It’s a megawatt smile Rey can only remember seeing when the man talks about his ridiculous joy over the holidays. “No?” He punctuates the word with a single thrust of his hips.

“Ohhhh God,” Rey squeaks. “Keep doing that. So good.”

It’s obvious Ben made a smart choice staying in education, because it’s clear he’s nothing if not a most excellent student. He follows Rey’s instructions to the letter, thrusting with a quick little flicks of his hips. He hits something buried deep inside her every time, and Rey feels her skin turn damp with a sheen of sweat, feels the heat build in her core like a slow burn.

She simmers for a long time, just right on the edge, gooseflesh erupting over every inch of her skin, her breath coming in tiny gasps. When she feels Ben’s thumb rub at the sensitive nerves where they’re joined, her vision goes black before a star-field explodes behind her eyes, sending her to light-speed and burning through all space and time and every dimension known to man as she completely falls apart beneath him, around him, as deeply lost inside those obsidian eyes as his body is buried inside hers.

“Jesus Christ,” Ben grits out, holding himself completely still, “this is gonna be over real fast, here.”

“S’okay,” Rey practically slurs between deep, shuddering breaths. “I… I think I might pass out.”

Ben huffs a little laugh, his abdomen clenching with the motion, making him flex inside her once more and her over-stimulated nerves clench and tremble with an aftershock of pleasure. “Please don’t,” he says, eyes soft on hers.

Rey’s eyelids slip closed as she shakes her head slowly. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” she whispers.

Ben presses little butterfly kisses on Rey’s closed lids, then peppers the line of her jaw with them until his mouth hovers at the shell of her ear. “C’mon, baby girl, let’s burn it down…”

“Yesss,” Rey hisses, sucking in a breath, feeling her nipples tighten infinitely as his hot breath ghosts over her ear. She blinks her eyes open, feeling like she’s in a fugue state until he shifts his head and their eyes connect. Then, it’s like the match has been lit once more, and Rey turns into a wanton mess, begging for more. She places her hands on his cheeks, her gaze so tender, so soft, as the incongruous words slip from her mouth, dirty as sin. “Fuck me.”

Ben’s breath hitches above her as his nostril flare. His dark eyes blaze with desire and for a second he almost looks feral. Rey feels him slide his hands down to grasp the back of her thighs and he somehow manages to yank her to the foot of his bed, never slipping from her heat, positioning her hips just so as his feet slip down to the floor. He slides nearly all the way out, then buries himself to the hilt once more and his wild expression softens. His jaw goes slack, his eyes get glassy and Rey’s lost in the way he’s completely lost in  _ her _ as he holds her thighs and drives into her again and again, hard and fast.

“So hot. Holy shit,” Ben gasps, his body working double-time above her as Rey just stares at him, mumbling single syllables like  _ yeah _ and  _ more _ and  _ fuck  _ between panting breaths. “Can you come again?”

Rey moans as her eyes slip closed, loath to not see him as he moves over her with a fierce precision, but actually unable to keep them open at the sound of his deep rumble while he’s bucking into her like this. “Just touch me,” Rey squeaks out, clawing at the quilt beside her with both hands, trying to hold herself steady against his massive thrusts.

Ben obliges, and she feels two fingers swipe at the slick apex of her thighs. He keeps his merciless pace inside her, adds a circling motion with those fingers, and Rey’s fluttering once more, the intermittent rhythm signaling the plunge she’s about to take.

“I feel you,” Ben gasps. “Open your eyes, Rey.”

She does, just as she’s shattering once more, clenching around him, baring her teeth and groaning through the carnal experience like a wild thing. And then Ben is dropping her thighs and his chest is on top of hers as he thrusts unevenly once, twice, then stills inside her as Rey feels him quiver with his own release.

“Jesus fucking Christ!” Ben croaks into Rey’s neck. She can feel the stubble on his chin rub against the tender skin, and it sends another tremor through her body.

Rey’s smile is lazy, her voice husky and sleepy like she’s just run a marathon. Which, to be fair, seems strangely apt. “Is that any way to talk about your savior?” She asks, breathless. “And on his birthday, too?”

“Eh,” Ben manages between pants, his face still buried above her shoulder, his damp back beneath Rey’s palms working with his heaving breaths, “Hell will totally be worth it.” He shifts and slips out of her, making Rey wince, then quickly returns to hover alongside her as soon as he’s taken care of the condom.

Rey giggles and Ben lifts his head, looking down on her with a quirked brow. “I can’t believe that just happened,” she says, staring up at him, blissed out and in what she can only call a state of amused shock.

Ben’s lips quirk in a nervous smile. He’s quiet for a moment before he speaks. “I… hope you don’t think it was a mistake.”

Rey can see the nervous muscle twitch beneath his left eye, and her heart swells with tenderness. She knows it’s only from her blatant lie after the mistletoe kiss that Ben has doubts, and she wants nothing more than to erase them from his mind. Because there’s no way in hell what just happened between them was a mistake.

Slowly she shakes her head as her face breaks into a grin.

“Never,” she says, her voice thick with the sudden onset of emotion she hadn’t been expecting, but the truth of the moment wrings it from her. She feels her eyes dampened even as her cheeks hurt from smiling so widely.

In answer, Ben smiles back, and she hears him release a deep sigh. His shoulders relax in relief as he lays on his back and slides one giant bicep beneath Rey’s head as a pillow, pulling her against him so that every inch of their skin is touching. She watches him as he stares up at the ceiling of his teenage bedroom with a goofy, lopsided, punch-drunk grin.

Rey tightens her arms around his massive trunk and squeezes as she ducks her head into the cradle of his body, grinning too. All of her fears and worries about never having these moments again slip from her consciousness like dust in the wind. She knows with a fierce certainty she’ll be back here, with Ben and his family, time and again. She knows that this… his heart pounding steadily beneath her ear, her heart echoing his like a mate…  _ this _ is just the beginning.

Rey’s eyes slip closed, ready to make good on that pre-dinner nap Leia suggested. She feels Ben’s lips press a gentle kiss to the crown of her head and it’s like she’s finally...  _ home _ .

Maybe Christmas isn’t so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for coming on this journey with us! What started out as a hilarious story shared by WILSON at The Writing Den at Christmastime became the inspiration for this love story. We had a blast writing it. <3
> 
> Come say Heyyyyy to Dani on Twitter [ @deedreamer16](https://twitter.com/deedreamer16) or at The Writing Den - Dani | DeeDreamer or on her [ tumblr ](https://deedreamer.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Give Amber some love on Twitter [ @hopelesslyreylo ](https://twitter.com/hopelesslyreylo), The Writing Den - Amber | thecalrissianchronicles and her [ tumblr ](https://thecalrissianchronicals.tumblr.com//)

**Author's Note:**

> This came about out of pure love for Wilson66. Thanks for being so great, even if you’re not a huge Christmas fan!


End file.
